Secrets
by LilyRose Blue
Summary: Neal has been hiding something from Peter. Can their friendship recover? What does the future hold for Neal? Neal/OC
1. Chapter 1

Peter sat at the table having dinner with his wife. He was unusually quiet as they sat together. That usually meant that there was something wrong. Peter was playing the night's events over in his head trying to figure out what was bothering him. Peter and Neal had just wrapped up a month long case and for the last two weeks Peter had been wondering what was going on with Neal. Sure, Neal was concerned about Mozzie's recovery. The music box and Kate were still looming in the background but this was something else and Peter just couldn't put his finger on it. "That is nice honey." muttered Peter. He heard El's voice but he didn't register what she was saying to him.

"I was thinking of renovating the kitchen sweetheart. Taking it in a more gourmet direction. The contractor I consulted said that it would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 dollars. But that is no trouble right?" asked Elizabeth taking a sip from her glass of wine. She could always tell when Peter was focused on something other than her. She usually tested him by throwing in completely random comments.

"Sounds great honey…so is dinner." said Peter. Although at the moment he had not eaten very much of his dinner. At most he had taken a few bits of his beef wellington.

Elizabeth said "Peter…what is going on with Neal now?" As of late Neal was the only person that commanded that much of Peter's attention. Peter had become quite fond of the younger man and he often worried about Neal.

Peter sighed. "Neal, is keeping something from me again…I know it. I just hope it isn't something that is going to get him put back into prison."

"Well, is it something about Kate?" asked Elizabeth.

"No…no. I don't think so. Neal and I have been pretty much sharing everything we know about the Kate situation. There would be no reason for him to hide anything from me about that. No, this is more about the case we just wrapped up…I feel like he knows something he isn't telling me…" said Peter.

"Like he is protecting someone?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

Peter nodded and said "Maybe…I don't know. But when we busted the jewel thief ring tonight…he looked relieved when he saw the culprits…he looked visibly relieved."

"You and Neal have a good relationship…why don't you just go over there tomorrow and ask him for the truth…?" asked Elizabeth.

Neal Caffrey walked into his room at June's house and closed the door behind him. Neal had spent his evening walking to clear his mind. Tonight had been the culmination of two very long months for Neal. For the last two months Neal and Peter had been working a case that involved high profile jewelry heists. However, most of the victims were unaware that they had been robbed because a near perfect replica was always left in its place. The crimes had nearly gone undetected until a French heiress tried to auction off a family heirloom only to find out that it was a fake.

Almost as soon as Neal saw the replica he knew at least one of the persons behind the crime. And that knowledge had put him in absolute agony from then on. Neal recognized the work to be that of Jade Santos. But Neal called her Raven. Neal and Raven basically grew up together and were the only family that the two had to speak of. They had come to New York together. He had lost contact with Jade six or seven years ago when she moved to Rome. The last time they saw one another was pure agony. Jade walked away with a broken heart and Neal did too. There were still nights he laid awake in bed and wondered if he'd made the right decision for everyone involved. Seeing the replica had brought all of those emotions and memories back to the forefront of his mind. Neal reached out to Alex Hunter and asked her to get a message to Jade that FBI was onto her. For the next seven weeks Neal worried that Peter would identify Jade on his own. But tonight when they made the big bust and brought down the ring of thieves Neal was relieved to see that Jade was not in the group. For some people that would be enough to set them at ease but Neal was still worried about Peter finding out the truth. And worse yet Neal felt bad for keeping secrets from Peter and this was a big secret. But this part of his life had to stay private to protect the innocent. To protect an innocent. Neal took off his coat and hung it up. He flipped off his hat and hung it on the coat rack as well. Neal turned on the lights and stopped in his tracks seeing Jade Santos sitting at his dining table drinking a glass of his best wine. A smile flickered across his lips seeing her sitting there.

Jade Santos was seated at the dining table wearing an emerald green sleeveless dress with a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. Her jet black hair was curly and pulled up into a messy bun. She wore green contacts that made her eyes sparkle and looked exotic against her smooth caramel colored skin that was thanks to her African-American and Cuban descent. Jade smirked seeing the way Neal looked at her. Jade stood up from the table and walked over to Neal. Her heels lightly clicking across the floor. "Neal Caffrey...you are a sight for sore eyes." said Jade in her soft voice that always seemed to lull Neal into a calm state. She hugged him tightly and pulled back placing a soft kiss on his cheek leaving traces of her lipstick behind. She pulled back and said "I owe you at heartfelt thank you Neal. If you hadn't warned me I would be in federal lock-up tonight facing an assortment of charges. Thank you...you saved my skin. Although, when Alex dropped in...I was shocked that you even still recognized my work."

Neal's mouth was still hanging open. Some things got better with age and Jade was one of those things. She seemed more beautiful to him than ever before. She had poise about her that seemed even more refined. It was then that Neal admitted to himself just how much he had missed this woman. Neal's hand went up to her face and lightly caressed her cheek before leaning in and kissing her on the lips. He pulled back and lightly brushed a loose tendril away from her face. "It is nice seeing you too, Jade. Of course I recognized your work as soon as I laid eyes on it. You, my love, are a one of a kind artist. You are like the Picasso for forged jewelry and paintings. How did you get in here anyway? Lock pick?"

She smiled after the kiss. Neal kissing her always made her feel so weak in the knees. "Well, I always considered myself more of a Maruja Mallo of forged art. Beautifully talented woman not given nearly enough credit for her masterpieces. But I suppose as criminal I must accept the fact that my genius will always go unclaimed. Or perhaps I could leave a list of my best crimes to be read after my death." She chuckled softly. "No, your wonderful landlady June let me in after I told her that I was a very old friend of yours...Alex vouched for me. She is an absolutely charming woman. We talked for hours and she prepared the most delicious meal for us. I hope you don't mind...but I told her that I wanted to wait around to see you."

"No, I don't mind at all." said Neal with a smile looking at her. He took her hand and said "It has been too long since I last saw you. What are you doing here in New York? The last time we spoke I thought you were on your way to Rome...never to return again? Come...let's sit down and have a glass of my..." Neal picked up the bottle. "Château La Fleur...you've always had excellent taste in wine. I should have known that you would have gone for the most expensive bottle in my modest collection." said Neal pouring himself a glass. Neal had a seat in the chair next to the one that Jade had been sitting in when he arrived. Neal unbuttoned his vest and took up a relaxed position in the chair. His eyes fluttered over Jade's face memorizing it.

Jade had a seat and crossed her legs. She picked up her glass and smiled. "Well, you know that I do like the finer things in life. That was something that you and I have always had in common with one another. I see even under the FBI's thumb you always manage to land on your feet." Jade nodded to his plush surroundings. "I stayed in Rome for a few years running cons and doing a few heists here and there. All the while it felt like New York was calling me back home. There is something about this city that draws you back in no matter where you are in the world. So...I returned to my home and tried to find you...only to find out that you were in prison. Federal prison at that...I asked around to find out how you came to be in that position. I was not surprised in the least when I found out that Kate was used as your lure. You were always willing to sacrifice everything for her." Jade tried not to sound bitter. But Jade been one of the things that Neal had sacrificed for Kate. She took another sip from her glass hoping the liquid would stifle her.

Neal swallowed the wine in his mouth and nearly choked on it. He could hear the bitterness in Jade's voice. But more importantly he could see the hurt in her eyes as she spoke. Jade had always been the type of woman that refused to express her true emotions. She believed that emotions made you weak...emotions made you a mark. And seeing how his life had unraveled because of Kate and his obsession with her...he was inclined to believe that there might be truth to that. Neal said "I am sorry for how all of that ended up Jade. I needed to find Kate. So...cons...you've never been interested in cons."

Jade was a talented woman and she had grifting in her blood. Her grandmother, mother, and two aunts had all been grifters and they had passed that invaluable skill onto Jade. But Jade was much more fond of high stakes heists. She was also a world-class forger of

paintings and jewelry. Jade never liked grifting because grifters never really got to have a life of their own. They were always moving along and making up aliases. Jade wanted a simpler life that included children and a husband and for a brief time...she had that. As a teenager Jade was madly in love with Neal and Neal loved her in his own way. When they were older Jade became pregnant with their daughter. They didn't have anything at the time, but Neal went out of his way to make sure that their baby would want for nothing. "I tried to get in contact with you after I left for Rome...I sent letters...lots of them. I never heard from you. I needed an easy way to take care of myself and cons...well cons are easy. Less time between work and pay than what I do. I took you for a lot of things Neal...but I never believed that you could be a man that could abandon your own flesh and blood."

"Abandon my own...what are you talking about Jade. You are the one that moved to Rome..." said Neal confused by all of this. "I didn't want you to move. I still wanted to be a part of Sofia's life...you are the one that took her away from me!" said Neal getting upset. The day that Jade took off to Rome with Sofia had been one of the worst days of his life. Neal had been secretly looking for Kate for months. All the while he was in a relationship with Jade. One day Jade had given Neal an ultimatum...he could continue looking for Kate but she would leave him. Neal had begged Jade not to go but he couldn't give up on finding Kate. That had broken Jade's heart. He could still remember Jade sobbing as she packed a suitcase for herself and Sofia. That day she walked out of their apartment and out of his life. Sofia was near and dear to his heart. He had missed the little girl more than anything but he had respected Jade's right to move to Rome.

"Don't talk so loud...!" said Jade in a hushed voice she nodded her head toward Neal's bedroom area. "You were willing to walk into a trap Neal...you were willing to risk everything. You were willing to sacrifice your family for her. What was I supposed to do with that? I couldn't just wait around for her to dump you again so that you could come back to me. I am no one's second choice Neal Caffrey. I am worth more than that...much more."

Neal knew there was nothing to say in response to that. She was very right. Neal got up from the chair he was seated in and walked over to his bed. He turned on the lamp and paused seeing Sofia curled up in his bed. Her curly chocolate brown hair framed her angelic face. But more than that there was a younger child asleep in the bed also. The smaller girl looked like a younger version of Sofia. She was clutching a small teddy bear in her arms. Neal quickly turned the lamp back off. He walked back over to Jade searching her face for answers. He tried to talk but couldn't form the words. He felt like he had cottonmouth for the moment. "Is...the younger girl...my?" Neal could even finish the question. "Why didn't you tell me?" asked Neal in a hushed whisper.

Jade said "I was hurt that you wanted to go back to Kate...it broke my heart, Neal. I was angry with you and I am sorry for running off to Rome. But I sent you a letter awhile after I left telling you that I was pregnant and that if you wanted to be a father I'd come back even if we weren't a couple. I waited for you Neal. I never heard from you. I sent a second and third letter and I never heard from you. I lived in Rome for a couple of years before I came back to New York looking for you...that is when I found out that you were in prison. It just didn't seem the right time to yell at you for abandoning us. Then you got tangled up with the feds..."

Neal said "Jade...I never got any letters from you...never. I would have answered you...I would have told you to come back. Even if we weren't together I would have been a father to the kids...you have to know that...you know how much I love Sofia. It killed me not being able to see her. It killed me not to be able to see you. You know things about me that no one else knows or could ever understand."

Jade looked into Neal's eyes wanting to believe that he just hadn't received the letters. She knew the person he was but that was before he fell for Kate. Everything else went on the back burner when Kate was concerned. But something about the sincerity in his voice made her believe him. She smiled a little as her scowl slowly slipped from her face. She picked up her glass drinking a little more of the wine.

Neal could see the honesty in the words that she was saying. "I was probably already in jail awaiting trial when you sent those letters. I found Kate not long after you left me. I went to find her at a storage unit...and the FBI apprehended me there." said Neal. It took a lot for Neal to wrap his mind around everything. He reached over and took Jade's hand. "I am sorry for hurting you...I am sorry for letting you down when you needed me the most."

Jade shook her head and said "We were both young and you made the right decision Neal. You loved Kate and if you would have stayed with me...it wouldn't have worked out. You would have always been longing for her. I would have been miserable and angry all of the time and I would have made you miserable too. Well...more miserable than you already were."

Neal kissed her hand. "So, my second child...what is her name?" asked Neal looking into Jade's eyes. He shook his head slightly thinking about all of the time he had missed with both of his children.

"Isabella Marie Caffrey. Of course she is six and a half years old and she's amazing Neal. She's so smart just like Sofia. Isabella is learning to play the piano and Sofia is a wonderful violinist and pianist. And they both can spot slight of hand even better than I can. I think they received the very best of both of us. Sofia still asks about you. I tell them stories about you."

"I can't believe I've missed so much time with both of them. I don't want to miss out on anymore time..." said Neal sincerely. Neal interlaced their fingers and gently squeezed her hand. "So the heist...is there any way that comes back on you? I mean could someone from the group make a deal and give you up?"

Jade shook her head and said "Not a chance. I operated the crew like the Great Oz. They never met with me directly. They received their instructions in a series of drop-offs and pick-ups and from random burner phones. No one used their real names everyone had a code name to prevent them from turning on each other if they were picked up. The only way to link me to the heist is if someone could identify my work. And since I've never been caught before..."

"You can't do this anymore Jade. Peter is relentless when he feels like he is missing something. When he runs everybody he is going to realize that he doesn't have the person that orchestrated everything and he doesn't have the person capable of forging that necklace. He will not give up...I don't want you going to prison..." said Neal concerned.

"I've been running these heists to bank money for myself and the girls. I don't want them to want for anything. My mother sends money for the girls but it isn't enough...here in the city. I have a day job too. But if you really think this Agent Burke is going to catch on...I won't pull anymore jobs in the U.S." said Jade.

He smiled and said "I don't think you should pull anymore jobs anywhere for now. I have some things stored...I could always turn them over to Alex and let her fence them for me. I don't want you to have to worry about money."

She smiled and said "I don't want you to do that. I do not want to bring in unwanted attention to you. You have a good life right now...one that isn't behind bars. It isn't as if we are living in poverty Neal. I have a nice little place Connecticut. The girls go to a really great Catholic School. I work as a curator."

Neal laughed and said "An art forger working as a curator at a museum? I always did love your sense of humor, Jade. Ever been tempted to help yourself to all of the bounties you see before you?"

Jade laughed and said "Not at all. It is all modern art...you know it has never been my taste. That is the way I keep myself honest. I work somewhere that has no appeal for me. But my conning does come in hand for unloading the pieces for a handy commission."

"Mommy?" called a small voice.

Neal looked over and saw his six year old daughter Isabella clutching her teddy bear. She yawned tiredly and ran over to her other.

Jade lifted the little girl up into her arms. "What is wrong sugar bean? Can't sleep?"

"I need some water." said Isabella cuddling against her bother tiredly. Her little eyes fluttered shut.

Neal stood up. "I'll get you some water." Neal went over to get a glass and filled it with water. He walked over and kneeled in front of the chair that Jade was sitting in. "Here is your water."

Isabella timidly took the glass. "Thank you." said Isabella. She drank a little of the water. Isabella handed him back the glass.

Jade smiled and lightly rubbed her daughter's back. "Belle...do you remember me telling you about your Daddy?" asked Jade.

She nodded tiredly. "I members..." said Isabella.

Jade chuckled softly. "Well, this is your daddy. And he is very happy to meet you."

Isabella gave a timid wave. "Hi hi."

Neal waved back at his daughter. "Hi..."

Jade laughed. "She is more talkative when she is more awake. I am sure she will talk your ear off tomorrow." Jade stood up. "I am going to go put her back to bed." said Jade.

Neal stood up setting the glass on the table. "I can put her back to bed." Neal gently picked up his daughter. He was nervous that she would be upset but she wasn't. Neal carried her to the bed and tucked her in with her slumbering sister. "Sleep well my princesses." said Neal quietly. Neal walked back over to Jade. "She's amazing Jadey...amazing."

Jade smiled softly and said "Yeah...she is...they both are. Sofia is going to be so glad to see you." Jade stood up hugging him tightly. "It is getting pretty late..."

Neal smiled and said "Let's talk outside so that we don't disturb the girls." Neal took her hand and then walked outside. They snuggled together under the stars and talked about what had been going on in their lives since they parted ways. Eventually, they dozed off to sleep. Neal's arms were protectively around Jade.

The next morning June came up with a breakfast spread for everyone. She sat outside with Neal and his little family to eat breakfast. Neal and Jade regaled June with tales of their childhood. And Jade told of her mother's grifting tales.

Isabella was seated on Neal's lap eating fruit from his breakfast plate. Neal didn't seem to mind. In fact he couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

Peter arrived at Neal's early that morning. He needed to talk to Neal to ease his mind about the bust the previous night. Peter knocked on the door a couple of times and no one answered. Peter frowned and tried the door knob and found that it was unlocked. Peter walked in and then headed outside hearing voices. "Good Morning Neal...June..." Peter looked at the woman sitting next to Neal and the two little girls seated at the table.

Isabella giggled stealing another piece of fruit for Neal's plate. "Here daddy!" said Isabella offering her father a piece of mango.

"Daddy?" asked Peter looking at Neal. Peter looked at the two girls and he could see how Neal could be their father. But he couldn't believe that this was something that Neal would keep from him. Not something this big…right?

Neal stood up holding his daughter in his arms. She was still wearing her pink feety pajamas. "Peter...this is my daughter Isabella and that is my daughter Sofia. And this is their mother...Jade."


	2. Chapter 2

"Girls…this is my friend Agent Burke he works for the FBI." Said Neal with a smile. Neal's smile waivered somewhat.

For a moment it was like time stood still between the two men. Special Agent Peter Burke looked at Neal confused and a little hurt. Peter couldn't imagine how Neal could keep something this important from him. Neal had a family that Peter knew nothing about. In the time that they had known one another Peter had grown close to the younger man. He looked at Neal like a younger brother that he often went out of his way to protect. Peter had been impressed by Neal from the very beginning. Neal had talent, intelligence, and charisma that any man would kill for. Neal could have been anything he wanted instead he chose a life of crime. But it had been Peter's hope that working with him would help Neal realize that his talents could be used for legal activities. But at the moment Peter was questioning everything he thought he knew about Neal Caffrey.

June saw the awkward stare between the two men. She spoke up. "Jade, I have a wonderful playroom set up downstairs for when my younger grandchildren come to visit me. I think that Sofia and Isabella would enjoy it a great deal. It is like a wonderland of toys in there." June stood up from the table giving Neal a reassuring smile.

Jade had also been looking between Peter and Neal. She was nervous for another set of reasons. Neal had a lot of confidence in Peter's abilities as an investigator. Jade was worried that Peter might be on to her. She tried to force that thought out of her head. That was absurd...right? Jade smiled at June. "That sounds like an absolutely lovely idea. The girls love to play." Jade stood up from the table setting her cloth napkin on her plate. Jade gingerly took Isabella from Neal's arms. "Come come my love. Let's let Daddy talk with his friend. You too Sofia...let's go sweetie." Jade kissed Neal's cheek. Jade walked passed Peter and said "It was nice to meet you."

Neal ruffled Sofia's chocolate brown locks. "I will come down to play with you guys in a little bit. Keep an eye on your mum for me." said Neal with a smile. He kissed the top of his daughter's head. It still boggled his mind that his little girl was ten years old. The time had slipped away somehow and he had missed so much.

June saw Neal eying Jade's place setting at the table. She would have to send the maid back for it to avoid Peter's suspicion. June walked into the house following the girls down to her part of the house. June sent the maid, Amelia, upstairs to collect the dishes. June was very protective of Neal, he had become a part of her family and she cared for him.

Neal looked at Peter and said "Please...have a seat, Peter." Neal had a seat trying to figure out where to start in this conversation. Neal could see the suspicion and the hurt on Peter's face. "Would you like a cup of coffee? It is Italian roast...it is Saturday so I know this isn't work related." said Neal pouring himself a cup.

Peter had a seat and shook his head. "I'd rather have an explanation as to what is going on here. With as much as I know about you...I find it hard to believe that you never mentioned you had a family. Where have they been all of this time? I've ran several searches on you...why haven't you come up as their father?" A million questions were running through Peter's mind but at the moment that was all he could manage to get out. "Whatever you tell me right now is off the record...I am not here as Agent Peter Burke...I am here as your friend. You have my word." Peter took out his badge and opened it. He set in on the table in front of Neal.

"I never mentioned my family because I wasn't very proud of myself. I can color the truth any shade I would like...but at the end of the day I shirked my responsibility to my family. Where should I start?" asked Neal not really sure where to beginning.

Peter said "I find starting from the beginning is always the best. I know you Neal...if you kept something like this from me...there has to be a reason. A good reason. I just can't figure out why you couldn't trust me with this information."

"Fair enough...from the beginning...Jade and I grew up together. I've known her since kindergarten. We've been best friends since the day she punched Ronnie Zierkus for stealing my juice box at snack time. We both came from unpredictable...unreliable families. So we became each other's family. We became our own source of stability. Jade never knew where she belonged...her father was Cuban and her mother was half-African-American and half Jewish. Jade could never find her place in the world." Neal watched as the maid, Amelia, walked out there and collected the used dishes from the table. Neal relaxed more seeing that Jade's prints were gone from the table. "As teenagers we dated off and on picket pocketing our way through life. And as soon as we were old enough we got an apartment together and started a life together. We did what we had to...to support ourselves. There are a laundry list of crimes we both committed to stay afloat. Jade was trying to put herself through college at the time. And one day...there was Sofia. So we got married...it was a justice of the peace thing. We could have never picked a church. Jade's father was Roman Catholic, her mother's family was non practicing Jewish. Jade and I struggled to make enough money to give our little girl the world. We bounced around from city to city scamming where we could to make ends meet. A couple of years after Sofia was born Jade and I moved here to New York. That's when I met Mozzie...and when the Vincent Adler saga began to unfold." said Neal.

Peter sat stunned listening to the tale that Neal was weaving. "So when you told me the story about how you met up with Vincent Adler...you conveniently left out that you had a woman and small child with you? Does Mozzie know about your family?" Peter reached over and poured himself a cup of coffee suddenly feeling like he needed it or perhaps something stronger, but it was far too early in the morning for anything of an alcoholic nature.

"Jade and I lived separately while I ran my con. It was one of the things that forced a wedge between us. I became a different person while I was running the long con. I became the thing that Jade despised more than anything else...I was a con man...a grifter...one that fell too far into his part. Jade was raised by grifters. Her grandmother, mother, aunts...Jade always hated how much they gave of themselves to run a con. She always felt like...you lost a part of yourself to each identity you formed. And in some ways she is right. The reason my name never came up in connection with my children...is because Jade didn't use my name on their birth certificates. She used my first alias: Liam Caffrey. She was always worried that my schemes would come back to haunt me...and seeing as Adler had Kate killed and nearly had Mozzie killed...she may just be right. Moz knew all about Jade. I never told Kate about Jade and Sofia...Jade refused to have our daughter be a part of the lie I was living. It was Mozzie and Jade that begged me to stop trying to get Kate's attention...but I was relentless. Jade asked for a divorce to distance herself from me. Jade made me choose...her...or Kate. Foolishly, I chose Kate. Jade took off for parts unknown with my daughter Sofia. I spiraled out of control...looking for Kate...and finally...took what was very obviously bait...and you caught me. What I didn't know when I let Jade go...was that she was pregnant again. She tried to contact me when she found out...but I was already in jail awaiting trial. I didn't find out about my daughter Isabella, until I came home last night to find Jade here waiting for me. Needless to say we had a very long conversation last night." Neal finished his story and looked over at Peter. "I was ashamed that I chose Kate over my family. I was ashamed that I let my daughter down...I let her grow up without me because of my love...my obsession with Kate."

Peter believed Neal about the shame he felt. That was the problem, Peter had become good at reading Neal. And last night Peter saw relief on Neal's face during the bust. And now mysteriously his ex girlfriend and his two children appear, seemingly, out of thin air. Peter did not like coincidences and this was shaping up to be a bad one. "So what is it that Jade does to support herself?" asked Peter as nonchalantly as he could manage under the circumstances. "It must be very difficult for her to support herself and two young girls on her own."

Neal said "Jade is a curator at an art gallery and picks up some spare work as an appraiser. She is a talented girl...she always has been. She can do anything she puts her mind to. She's been thinking of going back to school to make herself more attractive to larger museums and galleries. That is all I can tell you about Jade."

Peter said "I am not here as an Agent...I am here as your friend Neal. I am not going to hold anything you say against you. You are safe. You know that you can trust my word Neal. I've gone out on a limb for you on more than one occasion." Peter could still remember when he stole a surveillance video to save Neal's skin. If he hadn't stolen the footage they would be having this conversation with Neal behind bars.

Neal looked at Peter pointedly and said "It is not my safety I am concerned with." Neal reached over and closed Peter's badge. "I am sorry for not telling you about my family sooner. It isn't a reflection on our friendship, Peter. It is just me trying to hide my most cowardly moment. There is a time in every man's life where he can be selfless or selfish...I chose to be selfish...and it cost me...my daughter Sofia is ten years old now. I've missed nearly seven years of her life. She barely remembers me. Isabella doesn't know me at all. All I ever wanted was to give my Sofia so much more than Jade and I had as children. I've failed her and I failed Isabella too."

Peter held in a sigh. Neal's statement had all but confirmed Peter's suspicions, about Jade. Sometimes it is what doesn't get said that is the most telling. Peter said "Jade...she was involved the crew that we took down last night? That is why you've been so worried while we worked this case...you were worried that I'd arrest her."

Neal said "This conversation is over Peter." Neal pushed back from the table and stood up. Neal adapted a defensive posture. Neal was going to protect Jade at all costs. Neal said "I promised to take my girls to the park today. I need to get going...don't worry it is within my radius."

Peter nodded. "Okay." Peter picked up his badge and walked away. He stopped and looked back. "I understand what you are doing Neal...and I can't say that I blame you. If it were El...I would make sure she never got that close to being caught again." said Peter. He knew that he would do the same thing to protect Elizabeth. And Peter was willing to look the other way this one time. "And Neal...your daughters are still young, you may not be able to turn back time and recapture what you've lost...but you can be a better father from this day forward." Peter headed inside and left June's house.

"Thanks, Peter..." said Neal. Neal took in a breath and headed inside. He went downstairs to find his girls. He smiled seeing that the girls had already been bathed and were dressed for the day. Sofia was sitting at the piano with June playing part of Elton John's 'Benny and the Jets'.

Jade was sitting with Isabella on the couch watching June and Sofia.

Neal walked over and said "You've always liked the classics..."

Jade chuckled and said "What is more classic than Elton John?" Jade stood up and walked away from the girls and June. "Is everything okay...or should I be on the lam?"

Neal lightly touched her cheek and smiled. "Peter knows that you were involved...but it doesn't appear that he is going to pursue the case...he didn't say it in so many words...but...I don't think he is going to come after you. But this last job that was busted...it has to be your swan song. If he sees your work again, he will come after you. He isn't going to give you another free pass."

Jade sighed in relief. Jade hugged Neal and said "You have my word Neal. I will not be pulling anymore jobs. I've gone undetected for years...how he figured me out...I will never know."

"I think it had more to do with me than you. Peter mentioned that he noticed that I seemed worried for the duration of the case. And he is right about that. I was worried that you wouldn't heed my warning since you were so angry with me the last time we saw one another. But I forgot what a smart girl you are." said Neal with a wink. "So at breakfast I promised the girls that we would go to the park...do you think we can pry them away from June and the piano?"

"Oh I am a smart girl? You know some women would think that was condescending but I know you mean it with the very best intentions." Jade snickered. Jade hated being close to Neal. His charm and smile were infectious and before she know it she was giggling like a school girl. "I don't know if we will be able to convince the girls to leave. They love June already." said Jade laughing softly.

Neal chuckled. "Who wants to go to the park?"

"I do!" said Sofia excitedly from the piano. She turned around on the piano bench and stood up running over to Neal and Jade.

Isabella hopped off of the couch and said "Waits for me!" Isabella's little legs couldn't carry her quick enough.

Neal chuckled and scooped her up. "Okay so we are going to the park. June, do you want to come with us?"

June smiled and said "No, I think I will stay here. I think this young family needs some time alone. But depending on how long you stay at the park I might stop by with a picnic lunch."

Neal kissed June's cheek and said "June you are too good to me. Thank you. For everything…" Neal smiled at her. He was grateful that she had sent Amelia up to collect the dishes earlier. Peter had a habit of swiping items with prints on it. Neal said "Okay girls let's go to the park. The swings are calling our names."

Meanwhile...

Peter walked into his house and closed the door behind him. Peter shook his head slightly. Everything used to be so black and white before he met Neal. But now everything was in shades of gray. Sometimes doing the wrong thing...was the right thing. He just hoped that he hadn't made the wrong decision.

Elizabeth was sitting at the table with her iPhone busily working as usual. She stopped hearing Peter's footsteps. She set her phone down and looked toward her husband. "Honey?" asked Elizabeth concerned. She walked over to him. "How did your meeting with Neal go?" asked Elizabeth. Over the time that Neal worked with Peter, Elizabeth had become fond of him. And despite Peter's protests, she knew that Peter was fond of him as well.

"It...my conversation with Neal answered all of my questions and created a few more. I don't think he is in any trouble...yet." said Peter. He kissed her cheek and walked over to the table. He had a seat sitting his gun and badge on the table. "I just wonder if he can stay that way." said Peter.

Elizabeth followed Peter to the table and had a seat next to him. She took his hand. "Honey what is wrong?" asked Elizabeth.

"Neal, has a family with a woman, his ex wife to be exact. A woman that he knew before he dated Kate Moreau. He has a daughter Sofia, Neal said that she is ten years old. And a younger daughter Isabella...that he's just meeting because he was in prison when she was born. He said that he didn't tell me because he was ashamed of choosing his relationship with Kate over his family." said Peter.

"There was a woman before Kate?" asked Elizabeth surprised. When Neal talked about Kate it sounded as if she was his one and only. "Well, I suppose everyone has a past. But Peter, I feel like there is something that you aren't saying."

"Well, I figured out what Neal was holding back. His ex, Jade, she's involved in the case we just wrapped up. He's been scared for her...and has been trying to protect her." said Peter.

"What are you going to do?" asked Elizabeth. Peter was a good man that did what was right. She had always loved that about him. That and the fact that he was hopelessly awkward and cute when it came to all things romantic.

"I am going to pretend that I don't know what I know. Although, I guess technically I don't know what I know. But my gut knows that I know what I know." said Peter.

Elizabeth smiled and said "That is the man I married...a man of compassion."

"I am just worried that if Neal isn't careful he could end up returning to his old tricks. Neal and Jade apparently ran scams and did a lot of other things when they were younger to support themselves. He wants to be a good father. He could be tempted to run a con to help support his family. I don't want him to land himself back in prison. That is the last place he wants to be."

"Well, you should talk to him, Peter. Neal respects you and he cares about you. You need to point out what he stands to lose...not just his freedom but more time with his kids. You know...we should have them over for dinner. I'd really like to meet his family." said Elizabeth.

Peter nodded and said "Well, we can always ask and see if they are interested in having dinner with us." Peter's cell phone started to ring. Peter answered his phone. "Burke..."

"Peter, I just got an alert from the Marshals about Neal's tracking anklet. The data for his anklet went dark five minutes ago. Their system went dark right afterward. There is something major going on." said Special Agent Jones 


	3. Chapter 3

Neal was having a great time at the park. He had spent a long time pushing little Isabella on the swings but now it was Sofia's turn. He smiled as Sofia squealed to be pushed higher. Neal could remember the last time he brought Sofia to this park before Jade took off for Rome. In his mind Sofia was still that same little girl. If the sun glinted just right she still looked like his baby girl. But he knew better. He had missed out on so many years and it made his heart ache. He looked over at the slide and smiled seeing Isabella playing with Jade.

After awhile Sofia hopped off of the swing and said "I am going to go play on the fort dad." Sofia ran off to go play.

Neal chuckled and walked over to a bench having a seat. He watched the girls playing.

Jade walked over and had a seat with him. She said "Sofia and Belle are having a wonderful time Neal. Coming to the park was an amazing idea. I thought they might have been a little leery about this whole father thing but...they've both taken to you easily. But you are a sweet guy...who could resist loving you?"

"They are great girls, Jade. You've done a good job raising them on your own. But then you were always the strong and organized one. Whenever I flew too close to the sun you always reminded me that I'd get burned." said Neal. He looked at her and said "Jade I don't want you to have to raise them on your own anymore. I'm not pulling cons and I am not in prison. I am ready and available to be their dad. I mean...if you'll have me."

"Well, you taught me how to enjoy life. I was always so serious but you made me see that in order to enjoy life you have to live it. You helped make me who I am Neal. My happiest times were with you." said Jade holding his hand with a smile. "Of course Neal...why do you think I showed up at your place last night with them? I could have taken your warning and disappeared into thin air. I am good at that you know. But I stuck around because if you want to be a father to the girls...then I want that for them too. We always promised that we'd try to give Sofia as normal of a family as we could. I am still committed to that. You know I don't have much to do with my family. My mother sends money but she has no interest in being a grandmother. So I figure maybe you can get the girls on the weekends?" asked Jade.

Neal's smile faded somewhat. "I was hoping that you'd be willing to move back to the city. Connecticut is so far away. I've already lost so much time with the girls...I don't want to miss more time with them. I want them to have what we didn't."

"Neal...I have a life in Connecticut. I have a home and a job. I can't just walk away from those things. And living in the city is horribly expensive...if I am going to go straight...living in the city would bleed me dry. And as nice as your place is...it is really only big enough for you. There is no way that the girls and I could live with you." said Jade. She looked into his eyes. She could see how much he wanted to be a father. She sighed softly. Neal always pulled at her heart strings.

"I know...that I am asking a lot of you, Jade. And I know that I don't have any right to ask you to change your life for me. Sofia is ten and she doesn't remember me. Isabella doesn't know me at all. I can't make up for lost time but I want to be there every moment that I can. Let me fence some of my better pieces. Alex can move them quietly ... under the radar. It'll give you a really nice nest egg." said Neal.

"I don't want you putting your freedom at risk. I can't just make a jump like this without making a plan first. Give me some time to find a job here in the city. Once I've done that...then we can go from there. I have a car I will try to get the girls into the city to see you as much as possible while I work some things out...okay?" asked Jade. She moved to kiss his cheek.

Neal moved his face so that Jade's kiss landed on his lips. He chuckled and after the kiss and took off his hat. He set it a top her head and relaxed on the bench watching the girls play. "We have a deal...I'll be patient...as long as I get to see my girls."

Jade laughed softly feeling the hat on her head. She reached for his hand and lightly squeezed it. "You aren't completely to blame for everything that happened. I took off like a child having a tantrum when we broke up. I was heartbroken and hurt and instead of sticking around so that you could be a father to Sofia...I ran away from our problems and our failed relationship and that wasn't fair to you and it wasn't fair to Sofia."

"I wasn't myself at the time...I was so crazy to find Kate. Nothing else mattered to me at the moment and I completely self-destructed. I am glad that you left...I destroyed my life I wouldn't have wanted to destroy your lives too." said Neal.

"I understand Neal...sometimes we do crazy things when we are in love. I followed you to Copenhagen for God's sake. I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth Neal. I've never loved anyone the way that I love you and I don't know that I ever will. I've always believed that there is one special person for everyone. I just didn't realize that sometimes the person made for you...feels like someone else was made for them." said Jade. "We were better friends than we were boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. I think I always wanted something from you that you couldn't give me. I spent so much time trying to figure out why you didn't or couldn't love me as much as I loved you. And then it came to me...you loved me...but you weren't in love with me."

Neal sighed a little. "I never meant to hurt you. I loved you and I still do. I'll always love you Jadey. When I fell in love with Kate...it wasn't just Kate. I fell in love with a life that we both wanted to have. I was intoxicated by the life and by her. I lost who I was..."

"You don't have to apologize or explain yourself Neal. I am okay." said Jade with a smile. "I have a good life and I am happy. I've got two great daughters and I am living the life I always wanted." Jade was lying but she didn't want Neal feeling bad or worse yet trying to rekindle a relationship that was better left dead. No matter what Jade would always want Neal but now she was old enough to know that it wouldn't work. Jade and Neal watched the girls climbing the fort in the middle of the park. Jade chuckled and snapped a few pictures.

Several cars sped up to the park and Peter hopped out of one of the cars. "Spread out!" ordered Peter. The Marshals' were able to give Peter Neal's last location. Peter was hoping that he hadn't done anything incredibly stupid. Peter searched the huge park hoping to see Neal's impossibly silly hat anywhere in the crowd.

Diana Barrigan helped search the park looking for Neal. Diana knew just how dangerous the situation with the music box was. She wasn't convinced that this last glitch wasn't connected to that box somehow.

Peter's hopes started to falter as he looked for Neal and didn't see him. Peter was walking by a bench and stopped seeing Neal's hat. He ran around the bench and let out a sigh of relief.

Neal stood up and asked "Peter what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" It was then that Neal saw the other Agents in the park.

Peter turned on his radio and said "I've found Caffrey… stand down." Peter said "The Marshals couldn't track you. Your anklet went black right before their system went down. As far as they can tell...your anklet is the only one that went on the fritz before they lost control of the monitoring system. I didn't know what to think."

"Peter do you really think that I would go on the run after reuniting with my family. Jade doesn't like the idea of living on the run. If I tried to go on the lam I'd be doing it by myself." said Neal. But then Neal's mind started to wonder why his anklet was singled out. The last time something went wrong with his anklet Fowler was manipulating it. "Fowler?" asked Neal looking at Peter.

Peter shook his head and said "The man that was pulling Fowler's strings. I think it is time that we find the man behind the curtain...it is time to go after Vincent Adler." The hardest problem would be figuring out where to start their search. Adler disappeared and authorities had been looking for him from that point on.

"If he was bold enough to do this...I don't think we will have to find him...I think that he will be coming after us. And that means this whole thing...just got a little more dangerous." said Neal. Neal's eyes scanned the park looking for his girls. Neal looked at Jade. "Maybe it is time you take the girls back over to Connecticut..." said Neal looking at Jade.

"But Neal..." said Jade.

Neal cut her off and shook his head. "You need to take the girls back home. You'll be safe there. I don't want any of you becoming a target."

Peter said "I can have an agent take Jade and the girls home. We need to get Mozzie...we need his help with that equation. We've got to put this thing together and figure out what Vincent Adler is really after. He is going to make his play for you sooner rather than later."

Neal nodded and said "Jade come on let's collect the girls so that I can say goodbye to them okay..." Neal took her hand and walked with her to locate the girls. Neal and Jade looked for the girls and found Sofia still climbing on the fort. But Isabella was nowhere to be seen.

Jade started to panic. "Belle!" Jade climbed into the fort herself looking for her daughter.

"Sofia come here baby." said Neal holding her hand for dear life while Jade climbed through the fort looking for Isabella. "When is the last time you saw Isabella...?" asked Neal trying to stay calm so that he didn't scare Sofia.

"We were playing in the fort and she said that she wanted mommy and you. She was running over to the bench so I went back to playing." said Sofia. She looked around for her little sister. "I'm sorry..."

Neal hugged her tight. "You didn't do anything wrong baby...you didn't do anything wrong." "Peter!" yelled Neal to get his attention.

Peter and Diana ran over and asked "What is going on?"

"We can't find Isabella. She just disappeared...we had our eyes on her the whole time...we lost sight of her when you came over to talk...and she just disappeared." said Neal.

Jade climbed out of the fort. "She isn't in the fort Neal...I stood at the top and looked around...I don't see her! Where could my baby be?"

Peter nodded to Diana letting her know to radio the other agents to let them know they had a missing child. "What was Isabella wearing?" asked Peter.

Jade said "She was wearing a pink sweater dress with pink and black polka dot tights and uh...Mary Janes..."

Diana walked away getting Isabella's description out to the other agents.

Peter looked at Neal. "Adler?"

"How? He wouldn't know anything about my kids or Jade. You didn't even know about Jade and my kids." said Neal. "I've got to find her." said Neal. He let go of Sofia's hand. "Stay here with mommy." Neal kissed Jade. "I am going to find our daughter." Neal took off looking for Isabella. "Belle! Belle honey where are you!" said Neal.

Peter yelled. "Wait! I'm coming with you." Peter ran after Neal and started looking for the little girl. Peter's eye caught the sight of a grown man carrying a young girl out of the park. "Neal follow me!" Peter pulled out his gun and ran through the park. "FBI! Freeze!" yelled Peter as the closed in on the man that was running toward a gray panel van. As they got closer Peter could see that the little girl was dressed in the clothes that Jade described.

Clinton Jones heard Peter identify himself and ran toward the scene. But at the last minute he changed direction. He ran around the back way and slammed into the would-be kidnapper knocking him and the little girl to the ground.

The waiting van pulled away quickly.

Jones got onto his radio and rattled off the license plate number.

"Belle!" yelled Neal rushing over to his daughter. He scooped her up into his arms looking at her to make sure she wasn't hurt. He could see a few scrapes. She had some blood on her face.

"I want mommy." sobbed the little girl. "Daddy...I want mommy." said Isabella.

Neal couldn't believe he heard the sweetest words from his daughter as the worst moment. He nodded. "We'll get your mommy."

"Call for an ambulance!" said Peter the blood on the girl's face.

Jones said "Peter...I don't think it is her blood. Looks like she took a bite out of crime..." Jones showed Peter the man's left hand that had been clamped over Isabella's mouth. His hand was bloody and had several bite marks on it.

Diana, Jade, and Sofia ran toward the group.

"Isabella!" said Jade running over. "My baby." said Jade gently taking her from Neal. Jade held onto her daughter tight.

Neal hugged Jade and Isabella. He pulled Sofia into the hug as well.

Peter said "I don't believe in coincidences. This was Adler..." 


	4. Chapter 4

Neal walked out into the waiting room and looked around for Peter. He spotted him and walked over shaking his head.

"Isabella is a little shaken up but all in all she is fine. If Adler knows about my family I can't send them home. He will try to use them as leverage, but staying with me is just as dangerous if not more. I don't know what to do, Peter."

Peter said, "I am glad to hear that your daughter is alright. How Adler found out about them? I don't know. But I can promise you, Neal... I am going to find Adler and put him in prison where he belongs."

"That is a nice sentiment Peter but Adler has evaded authorities for years. I don't think that you are going to be able to catch him in his empty apartment," Neal quipped. He offered a small smile at the acknowledgement of their own history.

"You are right up until now Adler has been off the radar. However, today he made a desperate play and we can use that to our advantage. Just like the first time I caught you…Adler wants something bad enough that he is willing to come out of hiding to get it. I called Hughes and he has assigned a protective detail for you, Jade, June, and the children. June is on board with Jade and the girls staying at the house with you guys if you can get Jade to agree."

Neal shook his head. He had to smile a little Peter was always looking out for him.

"I can't believe you've put all of this together so quickly. Thank you, Peter. I am sure that I can get Jade to agree. She is really scared right now. As any mother would be. This isn't how I wanted to get to know my kids...my first day with them and some ghost from my past tries to kidnap one of them."

"Neal, what happened out there today isn't your fault. Adler played us. When the doctor clears Isabella to leave the hospital I will send Jones and a couple of other agents with Jade and the girls to pack some things to bring to June's house. You and I are going to need to meet up with Mozzie. We need to know how far he's gotten with that fractal. We need to know what Adler is looking for," said Peter.

"I don't want to leave them alone after what happened. Adler killed Kate...I'd never forgive myself if I wasn't there for my girls..." Neal trailed off not even being able to finish his train of thought.

"I know that you have the urge to stick as close to them as possible, but the best thing you can do for your family is help me find Adler and get him off of the streets for good. I know this isn't an easy decision...if it were El that were in danger I would be beside myself. But they will be safe at June's house," said Peter.

Neal sighed but he knew that Peter was right. "I am going to go talk to Jade about all of this. How long will they need to stay at June's?"

"I can't really give an estimate right now. They can't go home until Adler has been arrested. If he tried to go after them once…he will try again," said Peter.

Neal nodded and walked back into the room. He smiled seeing Isabella sitting in the hospital bed with a sucker. Her older sister, Sofia, was sitting on the bed with her and had a sucker as well.

"How are my girls doing?" asked Neal walking over to the bed.

Jade smiled and said, "I just signed the release papers. Isabella has a clean bill of health but she is tired. I should probably get her home so she can get a nap."

Isabella shook her head and with heavy eyes said, "I don't want a nap, Mama."

Neal chuckled slightly at their daughter's stubbornness. It reminded him so much of Jade.

Jade smiled and Isabella. "Well, mommy needs a nap so you can lay down with me. I don't want to take my nap alone."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Because of what happened today you and the girls are going to have a protective detail and it is probably best if you stay here in the city at June's house. Peter already talked to June and she doesn't mind at all. Although, I wouldn't have thought that she would. June loves everyone," said Neal.

Jade took in a breath thinking about being surrounded by FBI agents on a regular basis. She was not what you'd call a law abiding citizen but the danger of their situation was not lost on her. "You know how I feel about the feds, Neal. But I am assuming that if your telling me this…it is necessary."

"Peter is going to send a couple of agents with you and the girls to pack some clothes and essentials to bring back to June's house. I know that this is..."

Jade shook her head and said, "You don't have explain or apologize. Right now this is where we need to be. How long do I have to pack when we get to the house? How long will we have to stay at June's house?"

Jade was mentally going over a list of things that she would need for the girls and herself.

"Peter couldn't give me an estimate. The truth of the matter is it won't be safe for the three of you to return home until after Adler is arrested. He didn't put a time limit on your packing so just take your time."

Jade shook her head doubting this plan. "We are talking about the man that scammed some of the richest and most important people in this city? You seriously think he is just going to let the FBI catch him? You of all people know how easy it is to stay one step ahead of them. That becomes even easier when you have more money than King Midas at your disposal. Why is Adler after you anyway? I thought you were his boy wonder when you were working for him."

"I promise to explain what is going on when you and I have some alone time. In the mean time I just need for you to be patient and to trust me. And trust that I would never put you and the girls in danger."

"I do trust you, Neal. The FBI on the other hand…"

He smiled. "I know that it is against our nature to trust law enforcement of any sort but I trust Peter with my life. He has gone out of his way on many occasions to save me from myself among other things. He will arrest Adler and he will keep us safe."

She sighed deeply but nodded and said, "Okay."

He kissed her cheek and said, "I love you, Jade..."

Jade looked into his eyes. "I love you, too, Neal. At least you get to see my house for the first time. I think you will be amused by the décor."

He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "I won't be able to go with you...Peter needs me to work with him and Mozzie for awhile, but you can call my cell phone if you need anything."

"We'll be okay, Neal. Come on we should get going it sounds like you have a lot of work to do," said Jade.

Neal nodded and said, "Okay..."

He walked over to the bed and lifted Isabella into his arms. "Come on, Munchkin, let's bust you out of here," said Neal with a smile.

He ruffled Sofia's hair and offered his hand to her. Neal walked out of the hospital room with his family and headed to the elevator. Agent Jones and two other agents followed them.

When they exited the hospital a black SUV was waiting for them. Peter was standing beside the vehicle and opened the door. "My agents will take you straight to your home. They'll help you pack up everything you need and then you'll be transported back to June's house."

Jade looked at Neal nervously for a moment but then shifted her gaze back to Peter. She nodded. "Thank you, Agent Burke."

Neal saw the apprehension on Jade's face and felt Isabella squeezing his neck tightly with her little arms. He said, "You know Jade could probably pack up quicker if I was there to help her. Westport is only an hour away."

He looked at Peter pleadingly. Neal didn't want to leave his family when they were all obviously scared.

Peter said, "Okay, I will make the trip with you."

Neal said, "Thank you, Peter."

Jade helped Sofia into the SUV and then climbed in behind her. She made sure Sofia was wearing a seatbelt before getting settled.

Neal climbed in next with Isabella still in his arms.

Peter closed the door and hopped into the passenger seat of the car. "Let's go, Jones."

A small convoy of government vehicles made the hour drive out to Jade's house in Westport, Connecticut.

When the SUV came to a stop Neal climbed out in front of the two-story Cape Cod. He chuckled softly seeing the manicured front lawn. The flagstone walkway was lined with beautiful flowers. It reminded him of the dream house they used to talk about as kids. A place where you could raise a family.

Jade said, "Okay, let's get inside and pack up quickly. I know you need to get to work with Peter."

She walked to the front of the house and unlocked the door.

Peter, Jones, and Diana followed them into the house. The other agents stayed outside keeping an eye on things.

Peter said, "We are here to help if you need it."

Jade said, "I think Neal and I can pack everything the girls need fairly quick. If you could just keep an eye on the girls while we do that. It'd be a lifesaver."

Neal grinned slightly. He knew how awkward Peter could be when it came to children. Neal set Isabella on the couch.

Sofia hopped on the couch next to her little sister without prompting.

Jade grabbed the remote and turned on cartoons. "You two watch TV and be good for the nice agents."

Neal followed Jade up to the second floor.

Jade pushed open a bedroom door.

As soon as Neal walked into the room he chuckled softly. It was a bright pink bedroom with Isabella's named painted over her bed. His eyes were drawn to a hand painted mural on the opposite side of the room. "You copied part of the mural I painted for Sofia."

He walked over to the wall and put his hand on the mural. The work was beautiful and intricate.

Jade nodded slightly. "I hand drew on paper what I could remember from memory and then I divided it in half. I drew half on Isabella's wall and the other half on Sofia's wall. No matter what I always wanted them to have a part of you."

Neal stood there in silence staring at the mural on the wall. He sighed quietly.

Jade was moving around the room packing Isabella's clothes. She paused hearing Neal's sigh. "Are you okay?"

Neal nodded slightly. "Yes, I am fine. What do you need me to help you pack?"

"You might be a con man, Neal, but you've never been able to con me. What's wrong?" asked Jade.

She walked over to Neal and made him look her in the eye.

"I finally get you back into my life and there is a psycho looking for me. The last thing I'd ever want is for you or the girls to get hurt because of this situation. Adler killed Kate, he nearly killed Mozzie, and quite frankly he wouldn't mind seeing me dead either," said Neal.

Jade pulled Neal into a hug. "You said last night that you trust Peter with your life. Well, if you trust him then I trust him. Do you believe he can keep us safe?"

Neal looked in Jade's eyes and slowly nodded. "Yes, I believe that he can."

"What is this all about, Neal? What does Adler want from you?" asked Jade.

Neal motioned for Jade to have a seat. He sat down on a nearby toy box.

Jade sat down on Isabella's bed.

"When I was still in prison Kate broke up with me and then disappeared into thin air. At first I thought that she was just leaving me but after some thought and some investigation I realized that someone was holding Kate and using her as leverage against me."

"Leverage for what?" asked Jade.

"At the time I didn't know who it was but I did know that they thought that I had something they wanted. A music box that everyone thought I'd stolen years ago. And to increase my legend I never corrected anyone. Long story short I got the music box with Alex's help and tried to trade it for Kate. I handed the music box over to a corrupt federal official. He gave me my walking papers and told me to meet Kate at the airport. When I got there the plane blew up in front of me."

"I don't understand you gave him the music box. Why did he kill Kate anyway?" asked Jade. She had a look of horror on her face. She wasn't a fan of Neal's relationship with Kate but she couldn't imagine witnessing the murder of a loved one.

"He wanted to be rid of Kate and me. I was about to get on the plane when Peter showed up to stop me. He didn't want me to run off. In some ways I didn't want to leave. I had become used to my friendship and partnership with Peter."

Jade took in a sharp breath. She reached out and touched Neal's cheek. "You were supposed to be on that plane?"

Neal just nodded.

Jade didn't even want to think about how it could have played out.

"It took awhile but I finally figured out that Adler was behind this whole thing. He's the one that wanted the music box. In the last few months I've been trying to figure out why Adler wanted the music box so badly. Mozzie and I figured out that it wasn't the music box but what was inside. There was an equation for a fractal in the music box. When Mozzie got close to breaking the equation Adler had him shot on the street. A couple of inches to the left and Moz would have been dead."

"What is this fractal for? I mean what does Adler want?" asked Jade.

Neal shook his head. "I wish that I knew. That is why Peter and I will be going to visit Mozzie when we go back to the city. We need to see if he's finished the fractal and if he has any idea what the hell it might be for."

Jade ran a nervous hand through her dark hair. This was a lot of information to take in at one time. More importantly she realized just how much danger their family was in right now. "That bastard went after our little girl today. God only knows what he would have done to her. We need to pack so that we can get the hell out of here."

Neal stood up and gently pulled Jade onto her feet. "I am going to do everything in my power to keep the three of you safe. And if I see that I can't…I'll cash in my stash and send the three of you to parts unknown. I won't let my sins hurt this family."

Jade nodded slightly. "I believe you, Neal."

* * *

Later that day Neal and Peter arrived at one of Mozzie's many places in the city. Peter never understood how he could keep up with so many different locations.

For hours both men had been chomping at the bit to see Mozzie.

However, after dropping Jade and the kids off at June's house they'd been detoured by the director. He wanted an in person update of the case. Anyone that had enough clout to manipulate the U.S. Marshals tracking system was a threat that needed to be understood.

Hughes informed Neal and Peter that a member of the tech team was under arrest for tampering with the tracking system. However, the man wasn't willing to roll on the person that paid him to sabotage the system. They all assumed the Vincent Adler was the culprit but as of now they had no proof.

Peter was a little concerned about his protégé. The younger man had been silent the entire ride. Peter didn't know what happened but he knew that something had. He decided to offer his assistance then leave the subject alone. "Neal, if you need to talk about anything…I want you to know that I am here to listen. You might find my years of wedded bliss useful. "

Neal shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm fine, Peter."

Peter nodded. "Just know that it is a standing offer."

The younger man got out of the car and let himself into his best friend's loft. "Moz?"

Mozzie rolled out of the bedroom in his motorized wheelchair. He'd really gotten the hang of the machine over the last couple of days. "Come into the dining room. I have the fractal laid out in there."

Peter and Neal followed Mozzie into the dining room. There were pictures taped all over the wall and the fractal was laid out on the dining room table. It was obvious the small statured man had spent the majority of his recovery obsessing over the fractal and Vincent Adler. Several maps adorned the wall. Each with a hypothetical path of Adler's run from the law.

Peter stared at everything in absolute awe. He should have known that Mozzie could throw himself behind something that involved a conspiracy but this was truly impressive work. Everything was laid out just so. "What is all of this?" asked Peter.

Mozzie said, "This fractal acts as an antenna. It took me awhile to put it all together but when I did it was so obvious. I am not sure how I didn't see it from the beginning. The fractal when hooked up to a radio will pick the frequency of something specific. My guess is it links to an emergency beacon…"

Peter had a seat at the table and started sorting through Mozzie's calculations. He was quite adept at math himself. Peter scratched his chin in thought. "An emergency beacon? To what?"

Mozzie shook his head. "That…I don't know. Not yet anyway. What I can tell you is that whatever it is…is old. No one has used this sort of technology for decades. I mean we are looking for some kind of relic."

Peter said, "We are at a standstill until we find out what Adler is looking for. Whatever it is…it has to be enough for him to be willing to risk his freedom."

Neal's gaze shifted around the room looking at everything. "Mozzie, what are these maps for?"

"I've been trying to figure out where in the world Adler might be. I started mapping out the paths I would take if I was on the run from every law enforcement agency with a set of initials. Of course I focused on countries we don't have an extradition treaty with and countries that Adler was known for visiting before he dropped off the radar."

Peter stood up from the table and slowly walked around the room looking at the maps. "This is better than some of the theories that some of the agents at the bureau have floated past me. Mozzie…you've taken this as far as you can. Why not let me take these maps and put some agents on it. You obviously know more about Adler than we do."

Mozzie said, "Only because he was a mark. Before I sent Neal in for the big score I had done my homework on Vincent Adler. Although…not well enough to know that he was the greatest con man of all time. Talk about a long con."

Moz glanced at his maps for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead and take the maps, Suit. I'll do anything to catch this bastard."


	5. Chapter 5

Neal stood outside of Jade's bedroom and lightly knocked on the door. He knew how late it was but he wanted to see her before he turned in for the night. Neal was getting ready to give up when he heard footsteps making their way toward the door.

Jade opened the bedroom door and smiled softly seeing Neal standing there. "I was wondering what time you were going to make it home. Come in."

She walked back to her bed and climbed in tiredly. Today had been exceedingly long and emotional. Jade turned on the lamp on the night stand and patted a space next to her on the bed.

Neal walked over to Jade's bed and sat down. "I am sorry about waking you up. I just wanted to see if and the girls got settled in okay. I thought I would have been home much earlier than this but…there was a lot to do."

Jade smiled, "It is fine. I am glad to know that you made it home safely. My intention was to wait up until you made it home. I fell asleep somewhere along the way. I have to say I was a little worried with a madman out there that wants you dead. I don't think I've ever been this worried about you."

Neal chuckled softly. "Technically, Adler doesn't really want me dead just yet. I have something that he wants. After he gets that…then he will probably want to kill me."

Jade shook her head. "I don't find that funny at all. But to answer your previous question we got settled in just fine. I was able to get the girls unpacked while Isabella took a nap and Sofia spent some time with June. By the way she is amazing. Sofia couldn't stop talking about the time she spent with June. They played dress up in some of June's old clothing."

The con man flashed an award winning smile. "I said that he would probably want to kill me. I didn't say that I was going to let him. June is amazing. Bumping into her that day at the thrift store is one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

"Well, she has really gone out of her way. June cooked an amazing dinner and dessert tonight. She's already won over the girls with that red velvet cake she made for dessert," said Jade.

Neal smiled seeing that Jade seemed to be at ease there. "Did you call the museum?"

Jade nodded. "I told them that I had a family emergency and would need to take the week off. Beyond that I am going to have to go back to work. I can't risk losing my job. Especially since I have to walk the straight and narrow from now on."

She wasn't sure that staying straight was something that she could do. It started off being a way to support herself. But somehow over the years it turned into a hobby. There was a certain thrill that came from successfully pulling off a heist.

Neal could see the doubtful look on Jade's face. He put his arm around her and said, "I've come to find that being a respectable citizen isn't nearly as dirty as it sounds. I actually enjoy working for the FBI. I never thought I'd hear myself say that. Something about helping people is comforting."

"I am glad that you are happy, Neal. That is what I've always wanted for you. Maybe you are more like the better part of your father than you give yourself credit for."

Neal shook his head. "There was nothing good about him. He was a dirty cop. He hurt and lied to everyone he came in contact with."

"Most of all you?" asked Jade in a knowing voice.

Neal shook his head again and this time averted his gaze as if to say they needed a change of subject. His father was a wound that would never heal. "Oh, you should probably expect Peter's wife, Elizabeth, to stop over some time tomorrow. Peter told me that Elizabeth is excited to get over here to meet you and the girls. She tends to be my biggest supporter when it comes to Peter. Mozzie even likes her."

Jade chuckled softly. "I've heard it all. Paranoid Mozzie likes a FBI agent's wife? She has to be something very special. I am sure that I will love meeting her. I want to get to know all about this new life you are leading. Alex didn't tell me very much about you."

"She is…I've come to look at Peter and Elizabeth as my friends and in some cases my family. They both look out for me in ways that…few other people ever have. It has been a shock for them to find out that I have this whole other life they know nothing about."

"I am glad to hear that you've got people who love and care about you, Neal. Sometimes the family we are born with sucks…but that doesn't mean that we can't find another family to be a part of. And family grounds you."

Neal smiled looking into her eyes. "That is what I found in you. I always knew that I could depend on you…no matter what. You have always been my best friend and my better half. I've missed you, Jade."

Jade returned his smile and confessed, "I'd be lying if I said that I haven't missed you too, Neal. When we were younger there wasn't a scenario that I could imagine where we'd be apart for so long. I felt like you were one of those people that I'd be stuck with for the rest of my life. And I guess in some ways that is true. We've got two children together. We are always going to be connected on some level."

Neal reached over and interlaced their fingers. "You going to Rome was the best decision for all of us at the time. My life took a decidedly dark turn after that. But we are both back where we belong now. You are right about one thing…we are always going to be connected. I am always going to want you to be part of my life, Jade. I have to admit I am nervous."

"Nervous about what?"

"Being a father again. I mean Sofia was young when we were together. Now she's…not. Not to mention I don't know Isabella at all. I don't want to be a bad father."

Jade laughed softly. "I've never seen you be bad at anything, Neal Caffrey. It won't happen overnight but with time you will get to know our daughters. And in turn they will get to know you. All you have to do is spend time with them."

Neal chuckled and said, "That is not true. When we brought Sofia home from the hospital I was a complete wreck for the first week. I didn't know which way was up or down. I didn't understand how someone so little could scream for so long or so loud. And she kept hours like she was in Guns N Roses."

She scooted closer to Neal and rested her head on his shoulder. "You were adorable is what you were. And as clumsy as you were those first couple of weeks you got better with practice. Better than me in some instances. There were times when I couldn't get Sofia to stop crying for anything in the world and you'd swoop in and take her from my arms…and before I knew it she was quiet as a little lamb. Like she knew that everything was going to be okay because her daddy was there. Sometimes I'd come home and find you asleep with Sofia's little body curled up on your chest. You were a great father. You still are."

Neal caressed her back and kissed the top of her head. "She was perfect. This tiny little person that commanded all of my attention and all of my love. I could never deny her anything because she looks so much like you. I didn't know much when we brought her home. All I knew was that I wanted to be a good father for her. I wanted to make sure our little girl was loved and happy. But one day she is going to find out that I chose to chase Kate over being her father. That fact scares the hell out of me."

"Neal, don't do that to yourself. People break-up or get divorced all of the time. You wanted to be a part of Sofia's life. You begged me not to go but I left anyway. You aren't the only one to blame for how things ended up. But I know that you are right…one day Sofia and Isabella are going to want to know why you weren't a part of their lives and we will both have to answer for letting them down. But that isn't a cross you will have to bear on your own."

"I know the pain that comes from being disillusioned about your father…the pain from being abandoned. I know that you understand that pain too," said Neal.

Jade's father had been largely absent from her childhood. Sometimes he was in prison, sometimes he was out of the country, and other times he just didn't care to be around his daughter. By the time she was 10 years old her father had a second and third family that he was not taking care of. Jade always joked bitterly that her father was consistent with abandoning his children. He didn't love any of them so at least there was no need to be jealous of her younger half-siblings.

"You are nothing like either one of our father's. If I thought that you were I wouldn't have brought the girls within 100 yards of you. Stop worrying about the bad and start thinking of the fun things you can be doing as a dad. They are at those great ages where they can actually do things with you."

Neal nodded slightly. "What do the girls like to do?"

"They love music. They love dance, ballet and modern. The girls both love painting. Sofia loves to play soccer and softball. She plays on the youth league teams in our community. Ummm….oh TV! They love TV like every other red-blooded American child. They both love this cartoon called Phineas and Ferb. It is hilarious. Sofia is in love with Justin Beiber and the group Reik."

"Sofia and Isabella love to paint? Sounds like they inherited both of our talents. Do we have future art forgers on our hands?" asked Neal laughing.

"Well, with their pedigree who knows? We both were smart and talented enough to be anything we wanted to be and we chose to con, grift, and thieve our way through life. I hope the girls will be better. I don't want them to sacrifice the happiness we've had to sacrifice for the lives we decided to live. I want them to be legitimate artists, lawyers, doctors, astronauts, I don't know. I want them to be able to be whatever they want to be. That is why I work so hard to keep the girls in St. Francis."

Neal kissed her forehead. "And they will have every opportunity, Jade. You've done an amazing job raising them on your own."

"And we will be twice as good as a team. I could use the back-up. From time to time I can be a bit of a pushover where the girls are concerned. It is so hard saying no to those adorable little faces."

Neal laughed. "You think that I will be the strict one? When Sofia was little I gave her whatever she asked for. One of the biggest jobs I've ever pulled was to make sure that Sofia had the best Christmas of her life. Do you remember that year?"

Jade smiled. "How could I ever forget? It wasn't enough for you to buy Sofia more toys than she could possibly open. You actually dragged us all the way to Whistler. I can still remember you taking her out on the snowboard for the first time. That was right before everything changed."

"I just wanted her to have a big tree. That was all I was thinking about. Every kid should have that Christmas tree that is so tall they think it goes on forever. And she was in love with that tree. She'd just stare up at the twinkling lights like it was the best thing she'd ever seen."

Jade said, "Well, at three years old…it probably was the best thing she'd ever seen. Although…I have to admit I felt like a big kid that Christmas. I was just as in awe of that tree as Sofia. I remember having days as a kid when I wasn't sure if I was going to eat. But after that Christmas I knew that our little girl would never have to suffer through days like that. I think I was in awe of the man that made it all possible..."

"Mr. Healey?" asked Neal jokingly. Richard Healey was the man that Caffrey conned to make that Christmas possible.

She laughed softly. "Well, it might have been his money but you made it happen. And it made me fall in love with you even more. I think it is like an evolutionary necessity. Watching a man being a good provider and taking care of his children is just sexy."

"I have to say that Christmas was the best week of my life. I felt like I had everything I ever wanted. I was with the woman I loved and our little girl was filled with joy."

She chuckled softly. "I felt the same way, Neal."

Jade's smile faded as she thought about how soon after that everything went to hell. Losing Neal was still painful. He was the only man she had every loved and despite being away from him for so long…Jade had never fallen in love again.

When Jade got quiet Neal looked at her to see what was wrong. He saw her eyes becoming glassy and frowned.

"Do you know what I think we could use right now?" asked Neal.

Jade blinked slightly and chuckled softly. "What?"

"Drinks…do you remember that drinking game we used to play when we were younger?" Neal asked.

Jade laughed softly. "Of course…one person picks an artist and the other person has to name as many of their works as possible. However, many gets named is how many shots the first person has to take. Neal we are too old to play a drinking game."

"No, I think we are at the perfect age to play a drinking game. Come on. June stocks a very impressive selection of spirits."

He grabbed Jade's hand and playfully pulled her off of the bed.

* * *

The next morning Neal woke up to his cell phone ringing repeatedly. He groaned in pain. That ringtone was very annoying to someone with a massive hangover. Neal made a mental note to change it as soon as possible.

He grabbed the cell phone off of the night stand hoping to make the infernal racket stop. Neal answered the phone seeing that it was Peter calling. "Good Morning, Peter."

"Good Morning, Neal. I am standing in your room looking at your bed. You aren't in it. Why is that?"

Neal chuckled softly with his eyes still closed. The idea of sun light shining into his sensitive eyes was an unattractive prospect. "What time is it?"

"It is exactly 6:45. Where are you, Neal? There is a lot that we need to talk about," said Peter.

Neal groaned softly. "I'll be out in a minute. Could you meet me in the living room?"

"Sure."

He ended the call and groaned softly. Neal looked at Jade still fast asleep. Her body was draped over his. Her long chocolate brown hair fanned across his chest. She looked so comfortable that Neal hated to disturb her rest. Both of them had consumed way more alcohol than was prudent the previous night. Neal lightly caressed her hair. "Jade…"

Jade murmured in her sleep but didn't wake up.

"Jade…you need to wake up," Neal whispered still caressing her hair.

She whispered in a sleepy voice. "No…time for sleeping."

Neal chuckled softly and lightly brushed her dark hair away from her face. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You are a very cute drunk…"

He carefully slid out from under Jade's body and pulled the duvet up around her. Neal stumbled around the room collecting his clothing and then hastily got dressed. Afterward he quietly exited the room and made his way to the living room.

Peter looked shocked to see Neal looking so out of sorts.

The shirtless younger man had a serious case of bed head and was wearing the same pants he had on the previous day. "Why so early, Peter?"

"Long night?"

"You could say that. So, what is going on?" asked Neal. He ran a frustrated hand through his wavy hair for a moment trying to get rid of the cobwebs in his brain.

Peter said, "We had agents working all night on the information Mozzie gave us. It looks like Adler has stayed at a number of destinations Mozzie suggested. The guys are linking them up in a timeline and trying to figure out where Adler might be right now. We've got a couple of leads but nothing solid yet. Hughes as briefed Interpol and they are going to join in on the search."

Neal sighed and had a seat on the couch. He put his head in his hands for a moment.

"It is better than nothing, Neal. And it is a lot more than we had yesterday. We are going to find Adler…it is just going to take some time. I had to call in a favor. If I want this investigation to move swiftly I need someone that has certain resources and freedom that I don't. So, I called in Sara Ellis to help us with the case."

Neal looked up with a shocked expression on his face. "Sara? She's back in town?"

Peter said, "She flies in from Auckland this morning. I was thinking we could meet her at the airport. Unless…"

Neal groaned. "Perfect."

Things were more than awkward between the two of them. They had been playing a game of cat and mouse for years but now they were playing a game with slightly different stakes. Neal and Sara had crossed several major boundaries and their relationship was no longer platonic. He hadn't seen Sara in two weeks because she was out of the country for work.

June walked into the room with steaming hot cups of coffee for Neal and Peter. "I saw the empty bottle of tequila in the trash can. I figured you might be in need of coffee. If you aren't leaving right away breakfast will be ready soon."

Neal flashed an appreciative smile. "Thank you, June. You couldn't be more right."

Peter watched Neal drinking his coffee. "Bottle of tequila?"

The conman grinned slightly. "Drinking game. Don't ask."

"Who won?" asked Peter as he took a sip of his coffee.

Neal chuckled. "I know it might not seem like it…but I did."

That was when the light bulb went off in Peter's brain. Suddenly Neal's disheveled appearance made sense to him. "Oh! You and Jade?"

He muttered. "Old habits die hard."

"Obviously…"

June gave a knowing smile and quietly left the room.

"So are you two together?" asked Peter.

Neal shook his head. "No or maybe yes. I can't be sure. I don't remember much after 2 a.m."

"So, you and Sara are…?" asked Peter.

Neal groaned louder. "We were supposed to talk when she made it back from her trip. I need a shower. What time does her flight land?"

Peter glanced at his watch. "8:30."

"A quick shower then. I'll be back," said Neal.


	6. Chapter 6

Neal walked downstairs dressed in a black suit with gray pin stripes. He put on his fedora and headed into the living room to meet Peter but frowned not seeing him there. He was about to head outside thinking that Peter was waiting in the car until he heard voices and laughter.

He followed the voices coming from the dining room and smiled seeing the girls sitting at the table with June and Peter. Sofia seemed to be engaging Peter into some sort of conversation about baseball.

Isabella was the first to see Neal walk into the room. She hopped off of her chair and bolted in his direction.

Neal leaned down and scooped the little girl off of her feet. He twirled her around briefly and kissed her cheek. "You taste sweet!"

Isabella giggled. "Daddy! That's cuz I got lots of syrup on my pancakes! Want some? Miss June made lots of pancakes for everybody."

"No, thank you, Sweetie. I am going to eat breakfast later. You need all of your breakfast so that you can grow up big and strong." He chuckled and set Isabella down in her chair. Neal stooped down and used a napkin from the table to clean some of the syrup off of Isabella's face.

He glanced at Peter and asked, "Enjoying the pancakes, Peter."

The older man smiled sheepishly, "They smelled good and June was offering. How could I turn them down? Besides I was having a nice chat with Sofia about the Yankees' chances this year."

Neal walked around the table and had a seat next to Sofia. "You doing okay, Sofia?"

She nodded. "Yep. You have to go to work today?"

He nodded and said, "I do, but I will be home later. Maybe we can watch a movie with Bella and your mom? How does that sound?"

Sofia asked, "Can we watch The Muppets?"

Neal's face lit up. "Of course we can watch The Muppets. I will pick it up on the way home. Peter will take me."

"I will?" asked Peter.

Sofia looked at Peter with her big brown eyes.

Peter smiled at her. "I will."

"See. Peter is going to take me to pick up the movie. I will see you later on."

Sofia smiled. "Okay. Bye, Daddy."

"Good bye, Pumpkin."

He made his way around the table and kissed Isabella on top of her head. "Bye, Sweetie."

Bella giggled. "Bye!"

"Has your mom gotten up yet?" asked Neal.

Sofia shook her head as she shoveled another piece of pancake into her mouth.

Neal smiled. "I am going to leave Jade a note and then we can get out of here, Peter."

He winked knowing that would give the older man enough time to finish his pancakes.

Neal went up to his bedroom and grabbed his stationary pad. He jotted down a quick note to Jade.

_Jade, _

_I am sorry that I had to leave before you woke up this morning. Peter arrived practically at dawn to update me on the case. I am going to be gone for the majority of the day but I didn't want to leave without letting you know how much I enjoyed reconnecting with you last night. Maybe we can talk about that later. Rest well. _

_Love,_

_Neal_

_P.S. You still look like an angel when you are asleep. _

Neal folded the letter and slipped it into a plain white envelope. He walked downstairs to Jade's room quietly and smiled seeing that she was still asleep. Neal left the note on his pillow and slipped back out of the room not making a sound.

Peter was standing in the hallway. "I am ready to go when you are."

Neal and Peter left June's and headed to LaGuardia to meet Sara. He took that time to think about what he was going to say to Sara. When she'd left the country it was pretty obvious that they were headed toward something and he had been okay with that idea. But with Jade and the girls back in the picture he wasn't so sure about his future plans anymore.

Peter said, "Adler had to have been watching you to know to grab Isabella at the park. I had agents scouring your records last night. There is nothing that would link the girls to you. I think it would be a good idea to tell Sara she might be a target."

Neal nodded slightly. This was just getting better and better.

The ride to the airport seemed to fly by because before he knew it Peter was turning off the car's engine.

They headed into the airport and looked at the arrivals' board to figure out what gate Sara was going to be at.

Neal tapped Peter on the shoulder and motioned to Sara walking towards them with her luggage already in hand. It occurred to him that Sara looked like a breath of fresh air. Her curls lightly bounced as she walked and the smile on her face was infectious.

"Neal! What are you doing here?" asked Sara, with excitement in her voice. She threw her free arm around Neal for a hug. Sara blushed deeply realizing that Peter was standing there as well.

Neal returned her hug and smiled. "It looks like Auckland treated you well. I am guessing that means you retrieved the painting you were looking for."

"Well, you know me. I always get my man. No matter where he runs. So, to what do I owe this surprise?"

"Vincent Adler. He's back," said Neal.

Sara's eyes widened slightly.

Peter offered a smile and nodded in her direction. "Why don't I take those bags for you?"

"Thank you, Peter," said Sara.

Peter said, "I am going to be out at the car."

He left the two of them alone.

Neal cleared his throat and slowly walked with Sara. "So, did this trip end up being all business?"

Sara smiled. "I managed to secure a little leisure time after I tracked down Lawrence. How about you?"

"I worked a major forgery case with Peter. You know the one I was working on before you left. We finally closed it. It was a pretty big bust," said Neal.

Sara nodded slightly. "Is everything okay, Neal?"

She couldn't put her finger on it but Neal did not seem to be up to his normal effervescence.

"I just have a lot on my mind with Adler being on the loose and looking for me. That is why Peter and I met you here this morning. He is going to ask for your help on this case. I know you are busy with your own job and I would never asked you to jeopardize that but…we really need your help," said Neal.

She stopped walking. "Why do you think Adler is after you?"

Neal turned to face Sara and realized that he needed to tell her the entire truth. He took off his fedora and said, "Maybe we could get a cup of coffee right now and talk…"

She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and nodded. "I think that might be a good idea."

Neal scanned the enormous concourse for a coffee shop. "There is a place just over there."

Sara nodded slightly and made her way to the café.

Neal asked, "What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll take a Chai Latte and a blueberry muffin," said Sara.

She had a seat at an empty table and put her purse down in the chair next to her. She watched Neal as he talked to the barista and got an odd feeling. He was definitely not his normal self. He wasn't flirting and he was barely smiling. Perhaps this Adler situation was more serious than she knew.

Sara took a quick appraisal of her appearance.

Neal arrived with their orders. "You look beautiful, Sara."

He had a seat at the table and took a sip of his coffee.

"Thank you, Neal. Why don't you tell me what is going on? Why do you think Adler is after you? Did he make contact?"

"If you mean did we speak? The answer is no. But Adler made his presence known in a different way. Something happened while you were gone and I need to talk to you about it. I was married at one time, Sara," said Neal.

Sara nearly choked on her Chair Latte but was able to regain her composure. "You were married to Kate?"

"No, I was married to a girl I knew from my childhood. We've been divorced for years but she recently resurfaced."

"How recently?" asked Sara.

Before she left for Auckland Sara felt like there was something going on with Neal but he'd sworn that there was nothing wrong. She took him at his word even though her investigative instincts were screaming foul play. Sure, everything had been perfect before she left. But that was the problem. Everything had been too perfect.

"She showed up a couple of days ago. Her name is Jade. She moved to Rome years ago and I hadn't heard from her since then. We didn't exactly end our marriage on amicable terms."

"What sort of terms did you end on?"

Neal took a sip of his coffee and replied, "With slamming doors and tears mostly. Let's just say I wasn't as chivalrous as I would have liked to have been."

Sara slowly blew out a breath, "Wow. I can't believe I never knew that you were married. I considered myself an expert on all things Neal Caffrey."

"Peter was in the dark, too. But Jade isn't the only thing I need to tell you about. The reason Jade and I got married in the first place is because she got pregnant and gave birth to my daughter, Sofia. And before she left for Rome…she got pregnant again. This time with my daughter, Isabella."

Sara looked as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head. They had been seeing one another for weeks. Sara felt like she knew him because she'd chased him for so many years. But she was slowly realizing that there were large chunks of Neal's life that were complete blanks for her. And apparently his wife and children were stored in one of those blanks.

"That isn't something you just neglect to mention, Neal. You have a wife and children. How can that be something you never said to me?" asked Sara.

"An ex-wife," Neal corrected her. "And I never said anything because I was not proud of how things ended between us. Jade left New York heartbroken because I chose to continue looking for Kate instead of working on our relationship. I let her go off to be a single mother. I wasn't proud of that move. Besides, the life I was living conning people…she didn't want our daughter a part of that life. After she was gone I continued to respect her wishes."

Sara felt completely blindsided and more than a little hurt. "Before I left…you knew she was back in town. Didn't you?"

Neal took in a deep breath and nodded. "I had reason to believe Jade was back in New York. I just had no way of getting in touch with her. So, I had a friend reach out to Jade. I knew if anyone could get in touch with her it would be Alex. I thought she might be in…danger."

"From Adler?"

"No, Jade has other enemies. The point is…she stopped in to see me with the girls. I found out for the first time that Isabella even existed. We went to the park yesterday to reconnect as a family and when we did…Adler tried to kidnap Isabella."

Sara's mouth dropped open a little. "Is your daughter okay?"

The question felt so foreign to her but this was obviously a new reality that she'd have to get used to.

"She was a little shaken up and a little bruised. But she is fine. I just left her awhile ago eating pancakes at June's house," said Neal.

"I am glad that your daughter wasn't harmed. I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for you and her mother. Oh, they spent the night?"

"Well, for the time being they are going to be living with me at June's house. The FBI has provided them with a security detail just in case Adler tries to make a move on them again. There is no way he knows about my family so we can only assume that he's been keeping eyes on me. Which means…you might be in danger, too. I don't know how long Adler has been watching me, Sara."

Sara leaned back in her chair not saying anything. This was way too much for her to process. The man that she was in serious like with had just told her that she didn't know him at all. Oh, and by the way a psychotic swindler might come after her as well. This was definitely not how she pictured her reunion with Neal.

Neal silently watched Sara not having the heart to tell her about last night. His life had just become infinitely more complicated.

* * *

Jade groaned softly as she slowly started to wake up. This was without a doubt the worst hangover she'd had in years. There was something about being around Neal that brought out her most competitive nature. She smiled softly thinking about the previous night. Spending time with Neal had reminded Jade of all the reasons she fell in love with him years ago. He was devastatingly charming and handsome. Neal was one of the smartest men that she'd ever met and he wasn't put off by her intelligence. But more importantly he could make any woman feel like the only woman in the world.

She rolled to her side expecting to see Neal sleeping next to her. Instead she saw an empty bed and the reality of their situation came rushing back to her.

They weren't together. They were parents to Sofia and Isabella. They might even be friends but nothing more than that. Jade sat up in the bed pulling the sheet up to cover her bare body. "Good job, Jade."

She climbed out of the bed and pulled on a bathrobe. Jade slowly made her way around the room and collected their discarded clothes. She found a few pieces of Neal's clothes and realized that he must have left her room in a hurry.

As she rounded the bed and a crisp white envelope on the floor caught her eye. Jade dropped the dirty clothes into the hamper and walked over picking up the envelope. She recognized Neal's handwriting on sight. Jade lightly chewed on her lip wondering if she had the stomach to read his note. She wasn't sure she was ready to read that their night together had been one big mistake.

Jade dropped the envelope on the nightstand and moved to make the bed. The letter could wait until she felt a little more humane. She was in dire need of a hot shower and toothpaste. Definitely toothpaste.

Jade collected her toiletries bag and went to the bathroom to shower.

Twenty minutes later Jade emerged from the bathroom feeling closer to normal than she had when she first woke up. She went back to her bedroom and got dressed for the day.

Afterward she frowned looking at the nightstand. Jade took a deep breath and opened the envelope. Her eyes quickly scanned the short note and a smile appeared on her face. Perhaps Neal didn't think last night was a mistake.

But it suddenly dawned on her that maybe she thought it was a mistake. Before she had any time to contemplate her answer she heard a knock on the door.

Jade put the note away in the nightstand and opened the bedroom door. She smiled seeing June. "I am so sorry for sleeping in so late. I promise that this is not my normal behavior."

June smiled. "There is no reason to apologize. I figured you'd be sleeping in late. I have had a marvelous time with the girls this morning. I wouldn't have disturbed you now but Elizabeth Burke is here to see you. She is Peter's wife."

"Oh! Neal told me that she might stop by to meet me today. Somehow that must have slipped my mind," said Jade.

"Well, a bottle of tequila tends to have that affect on people," said June with a knowing smile.

Jade chuckled softly. "Thank you for looking after the girls this morning. I really appreciate it, June."

"There is no need to thank me. I enjoyed having a purpose this morning. The house is usually so quiet after Neal leaves for work. It was nice having little voices to keep me company. Sofia and Isabella are in the play room and Elizabeth is in the living room."

"I am going to look in on the girls for a moment," said Jade.

She quickly made her way down the hall and popped her head into the playroom. Jade grinned slightly watching the girls playing dress-up.

"Good morning…."

Both girls turned toward Jade's voice and grinned brightly. "Mommy! We had pancakes for breakfast! And Daddy said we are gonna watch The Muppets tonight," Isabella reported.

Jade chuckled softly seeing how excited she was. "Well, that sounds like a ton of fun. Were the pancakes yummy?"

Isabella nodded and said, "The yummiest!"

Jade pretended to be shocked. "Even yummier than my pancakes?"

Isabella clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled excitedly. She nodded her head.

"Well, I am sorry that I missed them! What about you, Sofia? How did you sleep last night?" asked Jade.

Sofia said, "It was weird not being at home but it wasn't bad. The room we slept in was really cool. I liked seeing Daddy in the morning the best."

"You did, huh? Well, I bet he liked seeing you, too. I know seeing your little faces in the morning always makes me smile. Listen, I need to meet a friend of Daddy's but after that how about we play a game. We can play any game the two of you would like. So, come up with something awesome before I come back. Okay?"

Sofia said, "We are going to come up with something good!"

"I bet you will. Be good," said Jade. She left the play room and went to the living room. She saw a brunette having tea with June. "Hi, you must be Elizabeth Burke?"

Elizabeth stood and offered her hand to Jade. "Yes, I am. And you must be Jade Santos. It is very nice to meet you."

Jade shook her hand. "The feeling is mutual. Neal spoke very highly of you. And he told me that Mozzie is very fond of you. So, you must be pretty amazing. Mozzie is weary of anyone close to a badge."

She chuckled softly. "Moz has become a very good friend. I love his eccentricity. I think that he has seen over time that I really care about Neal."

"Well, that is definitely the way to Mozzie's heart. He loves Neal," said Jade having a seat on the couch.

June asked, "Jade, would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes, please. That would be amazing."

"How do you take your tea?" asked June.

"I usually take it with milk and sugar. But if you don't have milk on the tray sugar will be just fine," said Jade.

June prepared Jade's cup of tea and passed it to her. "I admit that I often take milk with my tea as well."

Jade smiled. "Thank you, June." She gratefully took a sip of the warm beverage.

Elizabeth said, "So, I have to say Peter and I were both very shocked when we found out about you and Neal's daughters. Have you known Neal for a long time?"

"We've been friends since we were five years old. We actually grew up across the street from one another."

"A five year old Neal Caffrey must have been absolutely adorable!"

Jade chuckled softly. "Well, I was certainly taken with him. He was my first crush. I never went through that boys have cooties phase. Neal was very likeable so he made friends with just about everyone."

"The same can be said for him now. Neal has a way with people. That is for sure. So, what do you do?"

"I am a curator at a museum. One of the few people putting their Art History degree to some use I'm afraid. But then again I've always had a keen eye for art. That was one of the things that Neal and I have in common."

"Did you go to college here in New York?" asked Elizabeth.

"I got my Art History degree here in New York. But I went to Rome to get my dual Masters in Arts Management and Event & Museum Curator. What about you, Elizabeth, what do you do?"

"I am a caterer. My passion has always been food."

Jade smiled and said, "A caterer? I am completely jealous. I must admit that I love to cook. I became something of a foodie as Neal and I got older. His palate became more eclectic and I tried my best to accommodate him. But he was always a willing guinea pig for all of my culinary experiments."

"I often use Peter as a guinea pig. However, it has been nice since Neal has come into our lives. Peter will eat the food I prepare but he's a down to earth sort of man. He loves a good frank from the ballpark. He isn't exactly the right person to objectively evaluate my coq au vin. So, tell me about your daughters." She chuckled and shook her head. "I am sorry. I do not mean to turn this into an interrogation."

"Oh, you have no reason to apologize. I can only imagine the kinds of questions I would be asking if I were in your shoes. Sofia is ten years old and Isabella is six. We live in Connecticut where the girls go to parochial school."

"Parochial school?" asked Elizabeth.

She chuckled and said, "Well, I felt that it would give the girls the best education. They are already learning Spanish and some Latin. If they were in public school they wouldn't even see a foreign language until they were in the 7th or 8th grade if they were lucky. Besides, I enjoyed going to Catholic school as a kid."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Neal went to Catholic school?"

Jade laughed at the expression on Elizabeth's face. "Shocking? Neal honed some of his most impressive conning skills there. He used to get over on the nuns as much as he could."

The front door opened and closed quickly and footsteps could be heard racing into the living room. "Ladies, we need to get you somewhere safe in the house. We think someone is watching the house. Where are the children?"

Jade said, "In the playroom. I'll get them."

"It would be better if I kept all of you together. The agents outside are working on handling the situation. But I want to keep everyone together in case the situation changes."

The women seemed concerned but quickly made their way down the hall to join the children in the playroom.

As they entered the room a loud bang could be heard in the entryway and distress calls could be heard over the agent's radio.


	7. Chapter 7

June, Elizabeth, Jade, Sofia, and Isabella were crammed into a closet in the playroom. Ten minutes ago the agent tasked with looking after them went to assist his colleagues that were under fire. He'd sworn that he would radio for back-up but it was beginning to look like he didn't get a chance to do that. Five minutes ago all three adults realized that their cell phones weren't in the room with them. Presently, panic was starting to set in as they took stock of the dire nature of their situation.

The gunfire had long since ceased but the cavalry was nowhere in sight.

Jade felt the adrenaline surging through her body. All she could think about was what Adler would do if he managed to kidnap Sofia or Isabella. She didn't mind being in danger. It was an accepted risk in her profession. When you steal and con there is always going to be someone gunning for you, but her babies were innocent.

Jade whispered to June, "The window in this room…where does it lead?"

"It points toward the side of the house. Why? What are you thinking?" asked June.

"I am thinking that help isn't on the way and we need to get the hell out of here and fast. We have no way to call out and we don't know what is waiting for us on the other side of that door," said Jade.

Elizabeth said, "Agent Jordan said that he was calling for back up. They will be here soon. Trying to escape only puts all of us in danger. We don't know what is on the other side of the window either."

She glanced at the small girls huddled against their mother in fear. It made Elizabeth feel incredibly helpless in this situation.

"No one is coming for us. At least not right now. I don't know why the agent's call for back-up wasn't answered but the fact of the matter is that it wasn't. Response time for an officer down call is less than 5 minutes unless it is during a peak traffic time. We are on our own and we've got to decide what we are going to do because eventually Adler's men will find us. This is a big house…if I were approaching it as a job I'd sweep room to room to clear it."

June said, "The window might not be a safe bet but I know what is…Byron used our house as an all purpose gambling and gin joint. He was always concerned with police raids so he constructed a couple of escape passages in the house in case there was trouble."

Jade's face lit up. "No wonder Neal is so fond of you, June. Can we make it to any of these escape passages from here?"

"There is a one in the room next door. We'll have to be cautious but maybe we can make it to the trap door," said June.

Jade thought it over. Stepping into the hallway was a gamble. If Adler's men were out there the corridor could turn into a shooting gallery. I'll go out in the hall to make sure the coast is clear. If I don't see anyone you guys need to run into the next room. I'll stay in the hall as a look out."

Elizabeth frowned. "Jade…"

"Just make sure my girls get out of here. Please?"

June said, "I can't let you do that."

"June, it can't be any other way. You are the only one that knows the secret passage. You'll have to lead the way. I promise if it all goes right I will be right behind you."

Sofia asked, "Mommy?"

Jade turned to her girls and offered a smile. "I love you two very much. I want you to be good girls and go with June and Elizabeth. You do what they tell you to and they will keep you safe."

Sofia started crying. She somewhat understood what was going on. Isabella on the other hand was just scared. Jade hugged both girls.

Jade silently left the closet and stood at the door. She took in a deep breath and looked back at Elizabeth, June, and the girls as if to say get ready.

Elizabeth picked up Isabella knowing that she'd be the slowest runner.

June gently took Sofia's hand to ensure the girl wouldn't fall behind when they made a run for it.

Jade quietly eased the door open. Her eyes darted from side to side scanning the empty corridor. She motioned to them that the coast was clear.

June was the first out of the room. She darted into the room next door with Sofia in tow. She quickly started pushing a couch out of the way.

Elizabeth was the next into the room carrying Isabella in her arms. The little girl clung to her for dear life.

Jade closed the playroom door and then quickly followed them into the next room. She locked the door and spotted June trying to move a couch with Elizabeth help.

Elizabeth said, "If we have to move the couch anyway let's put it in front of the door. It might slow down whoever is out there."

Jade nodded in agreement and helped pushed the heavy couch against the door. "We can use as much of a head start as we can get."

Once the couch was out of the way a trap door was visible in the floor. June lifted the door and revealed a set of dusty wooden stairs that lead into a concrete room. "Everyone head down but be careful. The stairs are old and haven't been used in years. I'll be the last one in so that I can close the trap door."

The older woman frowned hearing footsteps coming down the hallway.

Elizabeth frowned and in a hushed voice said, "Go!"

Jade took Sofia's hand and quickly walked down the rickety old stairs. The stairs creaked and moaned as she raced down them.

Mrs. Burke was right behind Jade with Isabella still in her arms.

Men could be heard talking as they entered the playroom the women and children just left.

June started down the steps and used a string to pull the trap door closed. She grabbed a padlock from the wooden ledge and locked the latch behind them. June pulled on the lock to make sure it was secure before making her way down the stairs.

Elizabeth coughed and asked, "What is this room?"

She set Isabella down on her feet and looked around.

The older woman reached up and pulled a string turning on the overhead light. "Byron used this room for storage among other things."

The room was a solid concrete construction with no windows. Wooden shelves lined the room that housed several dozen dusty bottles of liquor. June stood in the middle of the room and looked around. It had been years since she'd set foot in this room. She wracked her brain trying to remember where the exit was.

Jade asked, "June, what are we looking for?"

"One of these shelves is actually a door. Byron made it himself to disguise the exit, but for the life of me I can't remember which is which."

Jade moved around the room feeling the sides of each shelving unit.

Elizabeth followed suit looking for anything out of the ordinary. She paused realizing that the unit she was currently inspecting was thicker than the others. "June, I think I found it."

June walked over and inspected it for herself. "This is it."

She fiddled with a metal crank until she was able to easily swing the shelves out of her way. An old doorway was revealed that led into another concrete space. June didn't waste any time and quickly slipped through the doorway. "A very long time ago my house and the house next door to us were owned by one family. The basements are still connected to one another."

Jade said, "Stick close girls."

She ushered the young girls into the pitch black space and glanced back to see Elizabeth closing the door behind them.

Everyone followed June through a tight passageway until they entered another basement. The room was filled with boxes and several old fashion wire dress models. A small amount of light filtered into the dark space from a couple of filthy rectangular basement windows.

June finally found the exterior door but frowned seeing that it was padlocked from the inside. "Oh no."

Jade asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's locked from the inside. I guess we could try to hide here for awhile…"

Jade said, "I've got a better idea."

She reached into her bra and retrieved a lock pick set. Jade saw the odd look on Elizabeth's face and offered a sheepish smile. "The perfect accessory. They go with everything."

She kneeled on the dirty concrete floor and started to work her magic on the time worn padlock.

Elizabeth closed her eyes saying a quick prayer. She could only hope that her husband was on the way. A moment later she heard metal clink against the solid floor. "You've got it?"

Jade nodded. She picked up Isabella and said, "Let's get out of here."

They cautiously exited the basement and made it a run for it. They took off in the opposite direction of June's house and didn't look back.

* * *

Peter stood in the conference room watching the other agents diligently working to find Vincent Adler. The longer the psychopathic conman was on the streets the more dangerous it became for Neal and everyone close to him. Hughes pointed out earlier in the morning that the list included Peter and his wife Elizabeth.

Despite the fact that Neal was his confidential informant it was no secret in the White Collar Division that Peter Burke was fond of Neal. The young man had matured a great deal in the time since he began working with Peter. The agent liked to think that it had something to do with the bond he shared with Neal.

Perhaps that was the reason this manhunt felt more urgent than anything he'd ever been a part of. Neal was a good kid but if his family was threatened there would be no way to hold him back. Losing Kate had changed Neal in ways that might be imperceptible to other people but Peter saw the changes.

Earlier Hughes reminded Peter that bringing Adler in could be a big win for him. Not that the consummate professional ever gave things like that any thought. He was an agent because he liked the work. If he wanted notoriety and prestige Peter could have selected a different career. Working White Collar gave him purpose but more importantly it was the reason Neal Caffrey had been thrust into his life.

Peter was drawn out of his thoughts seeing one of his most trusted agents, Diana Barrigan, racing toward him. "What is it, Diana?"

"Peter, there is trouble. I think Adler has made his move. We've been trying to get in touch with the agents at June Ellington's house for the last 30 minutes."

"And?"

She shook her head. "And, nothing. Complete radio silence, Peter. We've called June's house several times and we haven't got an answer. Hughes has units in route and told me to come brief you."

Peter grabbed his suit jacket and said, "Jones, let's go!"

Diana watched her boss running down the stairs to the main squad room.

"Boss! Wait!"

Peter stopped mid-stride hearing the tone in her voice. He leveled his gaze in her direction and asked, "What?"

"The last sit-rep we received from the agents sitting on June's house was that Elizabeth had arrived. I don't know if she left or not but..." Diana trailed off unable to finished that sentence.

The older man swallowed visibly and asked, "Where's Neal?"

"He and Sara went over to Mozzie's loft to strategize. Should I call him?"

Peter shook his head. "No."

Diana's eyes widened and said, "Peter…"

"Not until I know what it is that I have to tell him. I could be leading Neal into a trap by letting him rush to the scene," said Peter. He put on his jacket and continued down the stairs.

Burke, Barrigan, & Jones sped toward June's house not knowing what sort of scene they'd find. But no contact with the protective detail was not a good sign. Peter tried Elizabeth's cell phone repeatedly but got no answer.

When they arrived at the house there were ambulances, dark sedans, and police cars all over the street. Peter hopped out of the car and flashed his badge. "What do we have here?"

Hughes walked over. "We've got three agents down. One has already been transported to the hospital. One of Adler's men was injured and left behind by his accomplices. We have complete radio silence here. Something is jamming our communication systems."

Peter shook his head. "And in the house?"

Hughes said, "It looks empty but we are doing a sweep of the house now."

That nearly knocked the wind out of him. "He got to them…"


	8. Chapter 8

Neal stood in the center of Mozzie's loft and looked around at all of the information that was taped and being projected up onto the walls. He'd moved places the previous day not feeling safe in Wednesday any longer. Luckily, Mozzie had a nearly endless supply of safehouses he could use at will. His paranoia came in hand at times. For once someone really was out to get the balding con artist.

Neal, Mozzie, and Sara Ellis had been at it for a few hours now. The trusted insurance investigator for Sterling Bosch had made a brief trip to her office and picked up the files pertinent to their investigation. They were helping fill in some of the blank spaces in Mozzie's theory and confirming some pieces already in place.

Mozzie watched the way Neal repeatedly ran his hands through his hair. The frustration was becoming overwhelming and it was taking a toll. His disheveled appearance was a testament to that. Over the course of the last few hours Neal had shed his suit jacket, vest, and tie.

Neal walked around the room taking everything in. Mozzie was nothing if not thorough. "I need to talk to Alex…"

Sara looked up and asked, "Why? Last I heard she was in St. Petersburg, Russia. She fell off my radar after that."

"Because Alex knows exactly what this is for…she's known all along. Adler had something similar to this in his office. He was sort of obsessed with it. When I first met Alex there…her eyes were drawn to it immediately and I thought that I saw a flicker of recognition if only for a moment and then it was gone. She knows what this all about. Or at least has some idea. She might have some pieces to the puzzle that we don't see yet." He slammed his fist against the table.

Mozzie raised an eyebrow at this uncharacteristic behavior and shifted his gaze to Sara for a moment. This wasn't the time for Neal to lose it. There was too much at stake. Adler had every intention of killing Neal and anyone that got in his way. Of that Mozzie had no doubt. He had a slowly healing hole in his chest that showed how serious Adler was about this music box and puzzle.

Sara stepped forward and put a comforting hand on his arm. "How can we get in touch with Alex? Do you know of any way? I can put feelers out to see if any of my contacts have seen her but there are no guarantees that they will turn up anything. And it is unlikely that I will get the information in a timely manner."

"It won't be easy. If Adler is looking for me then he is definitely looking for Alex. She will have gone to ground where it is safe. Alex usually contacts me when she's gone off the grid to avoid the authorities or her enemies. She has a lot of those. Who knows when she will stick her head back out. However, I do know that Alex is back in the U.S. and has been for awhile now," said Neal.

The blond quirked an eyebrow at that information. Her sources had really fallen down on the job. The latest intel she had suggested Alex might have headed to the Maldives after narrowly being captured in St. Petersburg.

Mozzie said, "If you let Alex know that you are in trouble…that your family is in trouble…you know that she will come out of hiding. I've got a couple of contacts that move in similar circles. I can put the word out that you are looking for Alex."

Neal shook his head. "Adler will be looking for Alex as well. He has probably had the same ideas we have. If I were him I'd be spreading money around some of Alex's less than loyal associates. I can't risk Adler finding out about it and intercepting Alex before we can get to her. We are playing his game which means we don't know how far ahead of us he is…"

Mozzie looked at Sara and then cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to Neal. "A couple of weeks ago you needed to get in touch with Alex for that uh…emergency situation we talked about. You were able to get in touch with her then."

Neal said, "I tried that number earlier and it was out of service. It was probably a burner that she decided to ditch. She'd had that number for a couple of weeks."

Sara listened to the exchange but didn't comment. She had a good idea of what that emergency had been.

Mozzie looked thoughtfully. "Did Alex reach out to her contacts or did she contact our friend directly?"

Neal looked at Mozzie confused for a moment before the question fully sunk in. Of course that made sense. Alex had gotten in touch with Jade almost immediately. The two of them might be in contact on a regular basis. "I need to make a phone call. I am going to step outside for a minute."

After Neal left the room Sara directed her attention to Mozzie. "Neal is calling Jade, isn't he?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Sara," insisted Mozzie.

Sara walked around the table so that she was standing in front of Mozzie's wheelchair. "Should I be worried about Jade? Neal didn't tell me very much about her this morning. Only that she is his ex-wife and they've reconnected."

The short man adjusted his black rimmed glasses and attempted to maneuver his chair around Sara. He didn't like being involved in Neal's tangled and tenuous love life.

She sidled into position to keep Mozzie from escaping her intense gaze. "I am not asking for details about their relationship. I would never ask you to betray confidences. I just want a hint as to what I am up against. I've always thought we were friends, Moz."

He took a deep breath and said, "There is a lot of history between the two of them. They've known one another since they were young children. Jade is always going to have a place in his heart, but they've been apart for a long time. I can't say what their relationship is like right now."

Sara nodded and moved out of Mozzie's way. She was never the type of woman to be jealous or insecure. Sara also knew that Neal had the tendency to draw women to him like moths to a flame. However, this felt different. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd went to great lengths to keep her existence a secret or the fact that this woman was the mother of his children. Sara believed in her heart that Neal knew Jade was back in town before she'd left for her trip to New Zealand.

She picked up a file on Adler's possible aliases and had a seat at the table. What she needed now was a way to distract herself.

Neal walked back into the loft with an unsettled look on his face.

Sara looked up from the file she was reading. "Neal? Is everything okay?"

"I don't think so. I tried calling Jade but she didn't answer her cell phone. I called the house and June didn't answer. I even tried Peter at the bureau and on his cell phone and all I got was voicemail. Something is wrong. I know it," said Neal.

Without thought Sara grabbed her jacket and purse. "Let's go to June's house to check on your family. I am sure that everything is fine but I know you won't be able to focus on the task at hand if you are worried about their safety."

Sara wanted to believe the words that she was saying but it was difficult. The brutality and coldness that Adler exhibited by dispatching an assassin to kill Mozzie in broad daylight signaled that he was a man that was capable of anything.

Neal nodded and said, "Yeah. I am sure that you are right. Mozzie, I'll call and let you know if everything is okay."

He grabbed his suit jacket and quickly exited the loft with Sara hot on his heels.

The pair made it to Sara's company car and Neal said, "Let me drive. I'll get us there quicker."

Sara put a hand on her hip and shot him a sharp glare. "Is that supposed to be some crack about female drivers? I am perfectly capable of getting us there just as fast."

Neal said, "This has nothing to do with gender. I've just been in more car chases in this city than you have. I know all of the side streets to take to avoid midday traffic."

She frowned but threw the keys to Neal over the car and walked around to the passenger side. Sara climbed into the car and put on her seatbelt.

Neal hopped into the driver's seat and didn't even bother putting on his seat belt. He started up the car and drove off. Neal was going five miles over the speed limit. He didn't want to get stopped by the police but he also wanted to get home quickly. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel like something was wrong.

Sara's eyes watched the road and every once in awhile flicked over to Neal. The concentrated expression on his face was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

As they ran through a yellow light Neal's cell phone started ringing. He jerked the wheel in shock as he tried to answer it.

Sara said, "I'll get it. You keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel."

She grabbed the cell phone from the console between the seats and answered it. "Hello?"

Jade paused hearing the unfamiliar voice. "Is Neal around?"

Sara said, "He's busy driving right now. Can I take a message?"

"Could you tell him that Jade called. I really need him to call me back," said Jade, her voice was hurried and tense.

Sara nearly dropped the phone. "Oh…hold on. Please. Neal, you need to pull over. Jade is on the phone."

Neal's eyes widened and he hurriedly steered the car toward a curb. He turned off the engine and accepted the phone from Sara. "Baby, where are you? Tell me that you, the kids, and June are okay. I've been calling and when no one answered, I panicked."

Sara's eyes widened at Neal's greeting.

Jade took a breath. "Neal, we're all okay. I promise, but Adler came after us this morning while Elizabeth was over. We didn't have any way to call out for help and I think the agents covering us were killed because they never came to check on us after we were told to hide. June helped us escape through one of her husband's secret passageways "

Neal breathed a sigh of relief. "Where are you now? Is Peter with you?"

"I don't know where Peter is. Elizabeth has been trying to get in touch with him for the last hour with no luck. I don't know what is going on. We're at my safehouse in Gramercy Park. I'll text you the address."

Neal said, "You have a safehouse in the city?"

Jade paused for a minute. "I don't really have time to explain that. We'll talk about it later when we have time and privacy."

"I'll see you soon," said Neal. He ended the call and closed his eyes for a minute.

Sara gave him a few moments to collect himself. "I am assuming everything is okay?"

"Not really. I mean Jade and my kids are safe for now but Adler made a move on June's house this morning. They were able to escape but it isn't safe for them there anymore. They haven't been able to reach Peter. We might just have to go to the bureau after we leave Jade's place," said Neal.

His phone dinged and he glanced at the screen to get Jade's address.

Sara said, "Well, let's go check on them and then we will worry about finding Peter."

He took a breath. "We're going to Jade's safehouse. So when you leave…I need you to forget you've ever seen it."

"Of course, Neal. Just like I don't know anything about Mozzie's Wednesday. I've been around you long enough to know how all of this works. Never thought I'd skate so close to the edge but I do for you."

Neal nodded and offered a tense smile He started the car and pulled away from the curb.

Sara turned on the radio hoping to soften the silence enveloping the car. There was no sense in making idle chit chat. They both had too much on their minds and there was too big of a chance that someone would say something the other wasn't ready to hear.

The car ride remained silent until Neal parked the car.

Sara looked around at the location and asked, "Her safehouse is in Gramercy Park?"

Neal quirked an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure. Jade has always believed that hiding in plain sight is the best form of security. A quiet little place out of the way is a good place to get killed and not have anyone find your body for awhile."

Her brows knitted together in concern. That comment confirmed everything Sara had been thinking about this mystery woman. The pieces were slowly starting to come together and she didn't like the picture.

Neal climbed out of the car and waited for Sara to join him. They walked to the front of the building and were greeted by a doorman.

They headed into the building and were stopped by security in the main lobby. "What apartment?"

"Apartment 1468. We're here to see Veronique Gray," said Neal.

The man nodded at them and said, "Have a good day."

Sara and Neal got into the elevator and headed up to Jade's floor. She said, "Maybe we should call the bureau and ask about Peter's whereabouts."

"I am betting Elizabeth has already tried that. Peter must be out in the field and can't answer his phone. I wasn't able to get in touch with him either. That is unusual for Peter. He claims to hate it but he's been known to send a text message to say he will call later. This isn't like him," said Neal.

The elevators doors opened and they headed down the hall to Jade's apartment. Neal knocked on the door and waited impatiently for Jade to come to the door.

There was silence for a minute then June opened the door. "Neal, I am so glad to see you. I was worried that Adler might have gotten to you."

Neal hugged June and smiled. "No, I was with Mozzie and Sara. Are you okay? You weren't hurt were you?"

The older woman shook her head. "No, we didn't even see the people after us. Come on in."

She closed the door once Neal and Sara were in the apartment.

Sara's eyes quickly scanned the space taking everything in. It was a neat, well-furnished, professionally decorated, one bedroom apartment. Various works of art adorned the walls. Some of which appeared to be originals of some very famous artists. It was obvious that Neal wasn't the only criminal in the family.

Neal looked up hearing a set of heels making their way down the hall. He smiled seeing that it was Jade. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms. "You don't know how happy I am to see you, Jadey."

Jade all but melted into the embrace. She finally felt safe enough to let go of the emotions that had been pent up inside. That was until she saw an unfamiliar face in the apartment. She pulled back and blinked back unshed tears. "I didn't realize that you were bringing anyone with you."

His eyes shifted over to Sara and then back to Jade. "This is Sara Ellis. She is an insurance investigator for Sterling Bosch. Peter and I asked her to assist in the search for Vincent Adler. We were working with Moz when I realized that I couldn't get in touch with you."

Sara offered a polite smile. "Hello. It is nice to meet you."

Jade glanced at the woman's body language. "Likewise. Neal, I need to speak with you…alone. Sara, please make yourself at home."

Neal followed Jade down the hall to a large spa like bathroom. "Jade…"

She held up a finger silencing him while she turned on the faucet and the exhaust fan to muffle their voices.

"What were you thinking bringing an insurance investigator to my safehouse? If she starts nosing around here it could cause me a lot of trouble," Jade railed, in a hushed voice.

Neal said, "All I thought about was getting here to see if all of you were okay. I was in the car with Sara headed to June's when you called. I brought her along because I couldn't very well dumped her out of her own car. I told her to forget about what she saw here I'll make sure that she forgets seeing a couple million in stolen art."

"Why would she do that for you?" asked Jade. She paused as her brain started to work the problem. "She's your girlfriend."

"We, uh, don't have any labels. We were going to figure out what we were when she came back from her trip. Things haven't really gone to plan," said Neal.

"You mean I showed up on your doorstep and you slept with me last night. Neal, you should have told me that you had a girlfriend…"

Neal sighed and said, "Sara and I aren't in a traditional relationship. We hadn't decided if we wanted to make that step or not. Obviously, she has some reservations because of my past."

"Sara is the one that was unsure about a relationship? Not you?"

He reached out to draw her into a hug but Jade quickly sidestepped him.

Jade turned off the water and the fan. "Don't worry I won't screw up your relationship with the investigator."

Neal said, "Jade…"

She shook her head. "Go and see the kids. They are still pretty freaked out about what happened. I think seeing you will make them feel safer. Elizabeth is in the room with them."

Neal said, "We need to talk about Alex first."

She stopped and looked back at Neal . "What about Alex?"

"I think that Alex might have the key to figuring out what Adler wants from me. I need to know how to get in touch with her. I thought you might have some idea how to do that…"

She sighed a little and said, "We have ways of getting in contact with one another in emergency situations."

"How do you do that? This is very important. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't," said Neal. He could see that she was apprehensive about divulging the information.

"We both have access to an e-mail account. We don't send any messages. We just write e-mails and save them to the draft section. I check the account periodically and so does she to see if we've tried to contact the other person."

Neal said, "I need you to let Alex know that Adler is looking for both of us and that I need her help to keep you and kids safe."

Jade nodded slightly. "I'll take care of it. If it comes down to it I have another way of getting in touch with her but I don't like it and neither will you."

She quickly exited the bathroom and returned to the living room where June was pouring Sara a cup of tea. Jade took a breath and shook her head. She didn't have time to be concerned about Neal having a girlfriend. Right now she needed to keep her children and Neal safe. She had a seat at a small desk tucked away in a corner of the room. Jade pulled laptop from the desk's drawer and began composing an e-mail to Alex.

A few minutes later Neal walked into the room and placed a hand on Jade's shoulder.

She tapped his hand and said, "I've always hated when you read over my shoulder Neal. I am perfectly capable of composing an e-mail to Alex. She'll either respond or she won't. Considering Adler is after her too…I don't know if she will."

Peter paced the scene not having the heart to walk through the crime scene and no one could blame him. It was bad enough that he was close to Neal. The idea of breaking the news to the younger man caused Peter physical distress. However, that distress was tenfold because his own wife was caught up in the craziness now.

Diana walked over with a somber look on her face. "The good news is that it doesn't look like the women or children were injured. We didn't find blood or signs of a struggle anywhere in the house."

Peter gave a confused look. "How do kidnappers make off with three adult women and two children without making a mess of things? That seems highly unlikely."

"The only room out of place is where it appears someone used a couch to block the door. I am assuming that is where they hid to try to keep the kidnappers out of the room. Maybe they went without a fight because of the children. They probably didn't want to make the situation any scarier for them."

"Something doesn't make sense about this. There was no ransom note left behind. To our knowledge they haven't contacted the bureau. Adler kidnapped them for leverage. That leverage isn't worth anything if you don't make demands…"

Diana pursed her lips in thought and then said, "You have a point there, boss."

"Communication here is spotty at best. Whatever Adler is using to jam radio and cell frequencies is pretty strong. The techs haven't been able to undo it. We are still flying blind here. Hughes is establishing a command post a few blocks away from here. It is outside of the deadzone. I want you to run point there."

"On it. I'll come back down here if I hear anything of use. I'm sure your wife is fine…Elizabeth is a very strong woman."

Peter nodded only slightly and then went back to working the puzzle over in his head. He walked over to the crime scene investigators' equipment. Peter donned a pair of crime scene booties and rubber gloves before entering the house. He followed the voices in the house back to the room that Diana had mentioned. He watched the techs processing the scene.

One of the techs stopped and looked at Peter. "Do you need something, Special Agent Burke?"

He shook his head and said, "No, I am just having a look around. Don't be afraid to tell me if I am in your way…"

The younger man said, "You should be fine on that side of the room. We've already dusted for prints."

Peter scrubbed at his face tiredly and slowly walked around the room. He tilted his head to the side and squinted at an area of the floor. The home's Speakeasy past was no secret to Peter. It was one of the more fascinating aspects of the stately older home. He kneeled down and inspected the floor more closely.

He looked behind him at the crew. "Has anyone tried to get into this trap door?"

A technician walked over to Peter and examined the area of the floor. "I…I don't know how we missed that. We'll start working on it immediately."

"I would find something to start cutting with. I wouldn't doubt that this door is locked from the other side," said Peter. He walked out of the house with a determined stride and a small smirk.

Hughes surveyed his demeanor and walked over to him. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. What do you have, Burke?"

Peter chuckled and said, "I don't think Elizabeth, June, and Neal's family were kidnapped. I think they might have escaped altogether. The room that had a couch blocking the door also has a trap door. I have no idea where it leads but giving this home's past I would assume it leads to the street somehow."

"If they escaped then why wouldn't they have gone straight to the police?" asked Hughes.

"June has a healthy suspicion of the authorities and so does Neal's ex-wife. That suspicion is pretty well confirmed by the fact that we had an agent call off of this detail this morning and Neal's anklet was tampered with by someone employed by the Marshal's Service. Everyone has a price and Adler has enough money to pay it."

"Say they did manage to get out of the house. Where would they go? Your house?" asked Hughes.

Peter shook his head and said, "I doubt it. My house would be the next place that Adler would look. They'd go somewhere neutral. They'd want to go somewhere not attached to anyone Adler is familiar with. Despite the fact he tried to kidnapped Neal's daughter from the park it isn't likely that he knows anything about them. We've been working on the assumption that he tried to kidnapped the little girl because she'd spent the night at Neal's place the day before and then they went to the park. For all he knows Jade is a new girlfriend and the girl is her child. I know Elizabeth…if she was able to get away she'd definitely try to call me but I've been here and no calls can get in. Not even from the bureau. I am going to head to the command center and see if Elizabeth has tried calling me."

Hughes nodded and said, "I'll come with you."

The two older men walked the four blocks to the mobile command station. Normally, the White Collar Division had no use for something like this. The agents were like kids in a candy store with all of the first rate technology.

Peter turned on his cell and saw that he had several voicemails. He stepped to the side to get some semblance of quiet so that he'd be able to hear. Peter fist pumped the air and nodded at Hughes.

Hughes walked away from where he was being briefed and asked, "What's going on?"

"I was right. They managed to get out of the house. The fled on foot and are somewhere in Gramercy Park right now. They're safe…they're all safe," said Peter.

"For now. Today was too close of a call. We'll need to put all of them in a safe location and keep them under 24 hour watch. We'll only use agents that we know and trust."

Peter shook his head and said, "We can't risk a replay of today. I'd like to use Jones, Barrigan, and myself to handle the security detail."

Hughes said, "You forgot someone. Me. I'll help with the security detail until we can flush out our traitors. Looks like we'll have to do a little misinformation. Let's go check on your wife, Burke."


	9. Chapter 9

Neal took a breath to steady his nerves and then he plastered on a bright smile as he walked into the bedroom. "There's my girls! Your mom said that I'd find you guys in here."

He glanced at the television and saw that the girls were watching Ice Age 3. However, they both flew towards him after he walked into the room. He kneeled down and scooped both girls up into his arms and hugged them tightly. Neal was heartened by the fact that the girls would run to him when they were obviously scared.

Elizabeth smiled softly and lightly squeezed his shoulder. "I am going to give you a little privacy. I could use a cup of coffee and something to snack on. I'm glad that you are okay, Neal."

He smiled sadly looking up at Elizabeth. "Thank you for being here with my daughters. Jade told me that you helped get them out of the house safely. I appreciate it more than you know, Elizabeth."

"It was my pleasure, Neal. They are wonderful little girls. I definitely see a lot of you in them," said Elizabeth. She quietly slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She glanced at the door for a moment before continuing down the hall.

Neal pulled back from the hug and looked at both of the girls. He breathed a sigh of relief seeing that his daughters were safe and sound. "Are you two okay? Mommy said that you had a pretty big morning."

Sofia nodded and said, "We're okay, Daddy. It was scary before June showed us the secret door. I thought…I thought something really bad was going to happen to us."

She stopped herself from commenting any further knowing that Isabella still didn't really have any idea what had almost happened to them today.

Isabella nodded in agreement although at the time she had less of an idea of what was going on. She just knew that they were in danger and it had terrified her.

Neal stood up with both girls in his arms and had a seat on the bed. He set one girl on each of his knees and said, "I bet it was pretty scary. I'd be scared too if that happened to me, but there is no reason to be scared anymore. You two are safe here."

Isabella's eyes were heavy because she was exhausted. She'd long passed her naptime but was in no condition to sleep. She nodded a little and said, "I don't like bad men. They are mean and bad. And we had to hide in the closet."

Neal smiled slightly and caressed her back. "I know they are but no one is going to hurt you, angel. I promise."

She looked up at Neal's face as if she was considering whether or not to believe him. She held up her little hand and asked, "Do you pinkie swear?"

Neal chuckled softly and nodded. He hooked his pinkie around hers and said, "I pinkie swear that no one is going to hurt you. I'm not going to let anything to you or Sofia."

"Mommy, too?" asked Isabella.

"Mommy, too. I love you guys so much. I am not going to let anyone hurt you," Neal promised.

Isabella seemed to relax more and yawned tiredly. She clutched onto his suit jacket as her eyes got heavier. "Okay Daddy."

Neal glanced down at her sleepy face and said, "I think it is time for someone to get a little nap. Sofia why don't you let me put Isabella down for her nap and then we can get a snack with Elizabeth."

Sofia nodded and said, "Okay. I'm gonna go find mommy."

She hopped off his lap and walked out of the room.

Neal lifted Isabella up and put her in the center of the bed. He tucked her in once she was settled. "Nap time for sleepy little ones."

Although Isabella was snuggled comfortably beneath the down comforter she protested, "But I'm not sleepy! I don't want to take a nap."

Neal had to suppress a smile that was forming. He knew very well that she'd be asleep in a matter of minutes. However, he kicked off his shoes and had a seat on the bed with her. "Well, then you don't have to take a nap. We will just watch this movie. What is it?"

Isabella yawned a little and said, "Ice Age 3. Manny and Ellie have a little baby elephant and they have to keep her safe."

Neal nodded and said, "Like me and Mommy have to keep you and Sofia safe."

She giggled and nodded, "It is my faborite movie. I always wanted a daddy and now I gots one."

Neal paused for a moment feeling the guilt settle into the pit of his stomach again. He smiled gently at his daughter, "You have a daddy now and I'm not going anywhere. I promise. This looks like a very good movie I think that I'll watch it with you. I've never seen Ice Age before."

Neal settled in watching the movie with Isabella. However, in less than twenty minutes the girl's breathing had evened out and she was fast asleep with her thumb firmly planted in her mouth. He picked up her teddy bear from the floor and tucked it under her arm.

Jade stood in the doorway with a small smile on her face. She'd come in to see how Isabella and Neal were doing. It was no secret that the little girl was still shaken up from the morning adventure. She whispered, "You two look absolutely adorable. I wish that I had my cell phone so that I could take a picture of this. It deserves to be in a scrapbook of some sort. If I scrapbooked, but I don't."

Neal slipped his shoes back on and met Jade at the door. "Well, I think she was scared of going to sleep alone. I figured I'd stick around until she dozed off. It didn't take long at all. Although, I see she still sucks her thumb."

"Isabella only sucks her thumb when she's stressed out. I think today qualifies as stressful for all of us but I know that she felt safe enough to go to sleep because you were here with her. She's getting attached to you already," said Jade.

There was a time when she didn't think that Neal would ever meet Isabella let alone have a bond with her. However, in just a few short days she could see that the girls were as attached to Neal as he was to them. It made her wonder what the future held for their family if they could ever escape Adler.

"You think so? I could tell from Sofia's face that she wasn't buying a word I said. I sort of felt like a failure when it came to her, but she was nice enough not to voice her concerns in front of Isabella. She's a good big sister," said Neal.

"That's just because Sofia is old enough to sort of understand what is going on. She's not a baby anymore, Neal. I think we have to be as honest with her as we can be about the situation."

He shook his head, "I'm supposed to be able to protect my children. I shouldn't have to figure out a way to tell my little girl that some maniac might kidnap her because I conned him in the past. I mean does this end up with them going into witness protection like I had to as a kid?"

The last thing that Neal ever wanted was to be anything like his father. However, at the moment he was feeling more and more like a letdown to his family. His mistakes from the past were putting them in danger. The scenario Jade used to warn him against was now playing out and he hated to say that she'd been right.

"You are not your father, Neal. And you aren't alone in taking risks that put us all in danger. I've got just as many enemies out in the world. Maybe more. They just don't have a face and a name to put with me because I'm a thief and you're a conman. I'm pretty sure if the people I've ripped off knew who I was I'd be on the run with the girls for the rest of my life."

"You warned me about the risks of being a conman. You told me what I'd be giving up and…I kept going anyway. I'm in this situation because of my own pride and greed," said Neal.

Jade reached out and lightly caressed his cheek, "Neal, stop it. It is a thrill thing. Sometimes it's the only thing that makes us happy, baby. How many jobs have I pulled because I needed a shot of adrenaline or I just wanted to prove that it could be done? It is the nature of the business we're in. It doesn't mean that those situations don't come back to haunt us. I mean if you hadn't asked Alex to tip me off I'd be awaiting trial, right?"

Neal took Jade into his arms and kissed her passionately. He loved that she understood him and never tried to make him feel bad for who he was. It reminded him just how much Jade had always loved him and how deep that love went.

Elizabeth walked back to the room to tell them that Peter was on his way up. However, seeing the kiss she quietly made her way back up the hall and pretended she hadn't seen a thing.

"I promise that I am going to make this right, Jade. I won't let anything happen to you or the girls," Neal promised.

Jade frowned deeply and put her hands on her hips, "Don't do anything to get taken away from the girls. They know you now and I don't want you to leave a Neal sized hole in their lives if you get sent to prison."

Neal put his hands on her hips and pulled Jade's body back against his. He quirked an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Neal Caffrey. If anyone knows just what kind of man you are it is me. Don't go after Adler. Let Peter and the FBI do their job," said Jade, her voice was quiet yet determined.

Neal's eyes searched hers and in a quiet voice he said, "I'll give Peter two weeks. If they don't have Adler by then…I'll do this my way."

"Fine, but before you do anything…we talk about it."

"Why?" asked Neal.

"They're my daughters, too. If you're going to go after Adler then I want to know what you're doing and how I can help and don't try to tell me that you don't want me involved because I already am. The moment he tried to kidnap one of our daughters I became involved," Jade explained.

He drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. "You have my word that I'll run any plans by you before I do anything."

Jade nodded slightly and pulled away from Neal with a small smile.

Neal noted the awkwardness in the smile and realized it was because of the hug and the kiss. "What's going on?"

"How do you do that?" asked Jade. She broke the lock he had on her eyes. Jade hated that he could see through her.

"Do what?"

"How do you make me forget that you are a complete bastard that has a girlfriend in my living room? One that I had to hide my paintings from because I don't need her investigating me," said Jade, as she took a step back. She needed physical distance between her and Neal or he'd draw her back in like a fly into his web.

"Sara is a great person and a good friend but she is not my girlfriend. We didn't have any labels on our relationship. That was at her request…not mine," said Neal.

Jade asked, "Are the two of you sleeping together?"

Neal cocked his head to one side and saw the jealousy brewing in Jade's expressive eyes. She'd never really been able to hide anything from him. Much like he couldn't hide very much from her. "I care about Sara, but I love you. It is simple as that, Jade."

"Do you love me? Or do you love our family? Because those are two very different things, Neal. Everything is crazy right now. This isn't the time for you to be making life altering decisions. Sara could be the love of your life. I'm smarter than I used to be. I'm not about to pull into the street until I know there are no other cars on the roadway.

She turned on her heels and walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where Peter was standing holding Elizabeth in her arms. Jade held back a groan realizing that a FBI Special Agent from the White Collar Crimes Division was standing in an apartment under one of her aliases. That meant Veronique Gray was now burned as an alias.

However, she was grateful for June keeping Sara and Elizabeth occupied out on the terrace while she got all of the stolen artwork off of the walls and into an apartment 6 floors beneath them. Jade was a firm believer of having more than one safe house in close proximity. She used the studio apartment in this building as a place to stash her stolen artwork and jewelry. That definitely came in handy today.

Jade sat down in one of the two tufted club chairs in the room. She didn't want to chance Neal sitting next to her. Besides she needed to keep an eye on Sara because the woman was obviously conducting a mental investigation.

Sara was cautiously eying the mostly bare walls. Her initial hunch about those paintings being stolen had been spot on. It was obvious that Jade had removed the stolen work while June acted as a diversion. She shook her head realizing that Jade was a thief much like Neal.

Neal walked into the living room and had a seat on the tufted sectional couch that anchored the room. He knew that Peter needed a moment with Elizabeth.

Neal did a quick glance around the room and smirked slightly at the remaining paintings. Jade hadn't had time to get rid of all of them. The ones left behind were ones that she'd painted as forgeries. However, one over the fire place caught his attention. It was one of the first paintings he'd forged as a young man. It would never pass muster if it was scrutinized. However, it was a pretty damn good copy of Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Sofia had a seat with Neal on the couch and asked, "Do you want a cookie, Dad?"

Neal smiled and accepted one of the cookies. "Thank you."

Peter said, "When we couldn't find any of you…we started to think the worst."

She smiled softly at her husband. "I was starting to think the worst when I couldn't get in contact with you. I had no clue if Adler had decided to go after you."

"The bastard used some sort of radio and cell jammer in a two block radius around June's house. We couldn't get any calls in or out unless they went through the tele-command post that we set up outside the radius. I didn't get any of your voicemails until I left the June's house. You don't know how good it was to hear your voice, El."

Elizabeth shook her head. She was taken aback by Adler's apparent reach.

"I have some news that concerns…well everyone in this room. Hughes has made the decision that it is too dangerous to leave all of you out in the open. Instead we're going to move everyone to a safe-house in upstate New York. Hughes, Diana, Jones, and myself will work security. I've called in two other trusted agents, Cruz and Westley. We don't know how many moles Adler might have in the FBI feeding him information."

Sara looked at how Neal was bonding with the little girl she could only assume was his daughter. She raised a hand and asked, "Excuse me, just what do you mean by everyone?"

Peter said, "Well, I mean everyone. Adler might come after any of you as a way to get to Neal. Even Elizabeth might be in danger because of my connection to Neal. He could see it as a good way to have leverage over a special agent. I mean, what wouldn't a man give to get his wife back safely?"

Elizabeth gently squeezed Peter's hand. She knew how deeply her husband loved her. She didn't want to think about the lengths he'd go to for her safe return if Adler did manage to kidnap her.

"I know that none of you are prepared to go into a safe house. Hughes has teams in place to take you to your homes to retrieve enough clothes and essentials for a few weeks at the safe house. They'll bring you back to the Bureau and from there we'll transport everyone in two vehicles up to the safe house. Any questions?" asked Peter.

Sara glanced at Neal and then looked to Peter. "Will there be wine?"

* * *

Later that night everyone was under lockdown at the safe house in Albany. It was a moderately sized property the White Collar Division had seized when they took down the head of a fairly well known hedge fund. The bureau sometimes kept properties like these for safe houses. This one was certainly coming in handy tonight.

The 6 bedroom, 4 and ½ bathroom house was just big enough to accommodate the number of protected witnesses.

Jade walked into the kitchen and got herself a glass of wine. She and Neal were in a weird space and right now that wasn't good for Sofia and Isabella. Jade watched June standing at the stove and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help? You shouldn't be cooking for all of us on your own."

June smiled at her. "I don't mind cooking like this. I used to cook for huge crowds when Byron was still alive. He'd have lots of people over and I always enjoyed cooking for everyone. It makes me feel useful in my older age."

"Are you sure there isn't anything that I can do to help? I feel a little useless around here myself," explained Jade.

The older woman was no fool. She knew that Jade was attempting to avoid Neal and under the circumstances she couldn't blame her. "I could use your help peeling potatoes for the mashed potatoes. I've got two roasts in the oven and I'm working on homemade biscuits now."

"Well, it smells absolutely heavenly in here. I am starving. I didn't have much of an appetite earlier today. I guess I should cut up all of the potatoes for the crowd that we are trying to feed tonight," said Jade.

Jade went to the sink and quickly washed her hands. She collected a huge bowl, a knife, and an unopened 10lb bag of Russet potatoes. She got set up at the island in the kitchen and started peeling the potatoes.

June asked, "You wouldn't prefer a peeler?"

The younger woman shook her head and said, "I grew up using knives to peel potatoes. A peeler will just slow me down. I used to peel sacks of potatoes like I was in the military."

"Big family?" asked June rolling out the dough for her biscuits.

She nodded and said, "I had a pretty big extended family when I was a kid. We all lived on the same block. As the oldest I always got tasked with peeling potatoes or dicing up veggies. Anything that required a knife I got stuck with while my mother and aunts cooked."

"Sounds like a pretty nice childhood," said June.

She shook her head and said, "You'd think that, but not really. The good times were sandwiched between a lot of bad times. I think that is why Neal and I latched onto one another. We were looking for…something to ground us."

"Seems like you and Neal were close for a very long time," June noted.

"We were just kids. You grow up over the years and things change. Sometimes you don't even know why."

Jade settled into a comfortable silence and made quick work of the 10lbs of potatoes. She wondered if that'd be enough food to feed everyone: Neal, Jade, Sofia, Isabella, June, Peter, Elizabeth, Sara, Mozzie, Hughes, Diana, Jones, Lauren, and Westley.

June frowned at the potatoes and said, "There is another bag over in the pantry. I think we'll need them as well."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I'll go get the bag."

She walked over to the pantry and grabbed the second bag of potatoes and came back to the island.

"Are you doing okay?"

Jade looked up and smiled at the older woman. "I'm worried about Neal."

June walked over and had a seat next to Jade. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I am worried about Neal, too."

Jade smiled softly and said, "Well, at least I don't have to worry on my own. Thank you again for letting me and the girls stay at your house. They really enjoyed themselves. Sofia was so excited by the fact that her dad would be there when she woke up in the morning. Not to mention you saved all of us today."

"That is something you do not have to thank me for. It was my pleasure, Jade. You are Neal's family so you are my family, too. Neal has made an impression on my life," June confessed.

"Neal tends to have that affect on people. He is charming but beneath all of that charm are genuineness and a loving heart. Neal is the kind of man you can count on when the chips are down. Unfortunately, in our short lives the chips have been down quite often."

June chuckled softly. "I know that feeling well. Neal is a lot like my Byron. He was a good man…with a good heart, but he couldn't stay straight to save his life. Even though we went through a lot of bad times I never regretted my time with Byron. The only thing I hate was that it was cut short."

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine losing someone after being with them so long. I'd imagine that sort of pain never really goes away."

June gave her a knowing smile. She heard the quiver in the young woman's voice. "I get the feeling that you understand that pain all too well. You still love, Neal…don't you?"

Jade fell silent staring out at the peeled potatoes in front of her. "Doesn't matter anymore if I do or don't. I just want to make sure that he is part of Sofia and Isabella's lives. They are all that is between us now."

June chuckled and shook her head. "I'd believe you more if your eyes weren't glassy with tears. Being this close to Neal breaks your heart."

Jade nodded slightly and blinked trying to ward off any tears. "Being around Neal is hard. I always manage to get sucked in by the charm and the good heart. He makes me forgive him for things I shouldn't forgive him for. I'm scared that being this close to him again is going to destroy me in the long run."

"Would it be so bad to reunite with Neal? Maybe you two can have that family you always wanted. Neal loves those girls."

Jade smiled bravely. "But does he love me? Family is a dream that died when I left for Rome. Neal doesn't love me the way that I love him. I don't think he ever did. I was never enough to make him truly happy. Neal was always searching for something more. He had a hole in his heart that I just couldn't fill. Kate did that for him."

June said, "Kate's gone."

"Kate isn't just a woman he fell in love with. She's a symbol of everything that was ever wrong with my relationship with Neal. I am always going to be waiting for him to find someone better. Someone he loves more than he loves me. I didn't run off to Rome to punish Neal. I ran to save me from myself."

June quirked a confused eyebrow at the young woman and asked, "What do you mean? Save yourself how?"

"I knew that Neal's relationship with Kate was going to end badly and when it did he'd look for the familiar. Me. And despite how mad I was with him I knew that the moment he walked back into my life and wanted me back that I'd take him because I love him with all of my heart and soul. I had to put as much physical distance between us as possible."

"Why'd you come back to New York?" June asked curiously.

"I wanted to be back in the States…this is my home. But more importantly I thought that I was strong enough now. I thought that enough time had passed that Neal would no longer be able to pluck away at my heart strings. I was a fool. Because the moment I saw his face I realized that he still has that hold over me. I love that man. And I realized my time in Rome was a farce. I didn't have any relationships. I convinced myself that I was this modern woman that didn't want a man. I pretended that I didn't need a man in my life. Men flirted with me but I was never interested."

"I've come to know Neal very well and I know that he's not the same young man that you left behind. He's changed for the better, Jade. I've watched the metamorphosis that he's undergone while working with Peter at the FBI. I think he's at a place in his life where he understands what really matters in the world. I don't think he'd make the same mistake twice," said June.

"The other night it was just like old times. I was feeling down and confused. Neal was right there to take it all away and make me feel better. It worked. We ended up in bed, which is where we always end up. If we can't do anything else right…making love we do right. The whole time he never mentioned Sara. He's in a relationship with this woman and he didn't say a word. I'm back in the same place I was with Kate. I'm the also ran in this race. I know he doesn't do it on purpose but it breaks my heart every time," whispered Jade. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

June handed Jade her handkerchief and smiled sadly. "Oh, sweetheart, you youngsters think that you can control your heart, but you can't. I think Neal cares about Sara a great deal, but sometimes if you can't be with the one you love…you love the one you're with. Neal loves you, Jade. He just didn't know that you were back in New York. He didn't know that he had an opportunity to make things right."

Jade dried her eyes with the handkerchief. "I just want this case to be over so that I can go back home. I can drop the girls off with Neal on the weekends and then maybe this lump in my chest will go away."

"Neal loves you, Jade. Of that I am absolutely sure. I see the way he looks at you. I hear the guilt in his voice when he talks about you."

"That's just it. I don't want Neal to be with me because of guilt. To be honest I think that is why he married me in the first place. I was pregnant with Sofia and I didn't have any real support from my family. And as soon as he found out that we were having a little girl Neal just lit up in a way I've never seen him before. Sofia being born changed his life…she changed him. I will never doubt his love for our children. But I don't want him to make a commitment to me again just for their sake. It isn't fair to any of us."

June said, "This sounds like a very specific fear…"

Jade took in a deep breath and sniffled. "This afternoon while we were at my place Neal suggested that I move to the city. He wants us to find a place and live together as a family."

"What's so wrong with that? I am assuming that you are a part of this family he is talking about. This could be a new start for the four of you."

"When he said it my heart skipped a beat. My first thought was to say yes. But before I said anything Neal kept talking and I realized what he really wanted was more time with the girls. And why shouldn't he want more time with them? He hasn't seen Sofia since she was little and he doesn't know Bella at all."

Neal stood in the doorway listening to the two women talk. He backed away from the door silently and went back into the living room

Peter saw the look on Neal's face. "Is everything okay in there?"

Neal shook his head and said, "No."


	10. Chapter 10

Neal stood in front of the farmhouse sink in the kitchen quietly rinsing dishes to be loaded into the dishwasher. He'd volunteered for kitchen duty seeing as June and Jade had been gracious enough to prepare a feast for their oversized party. It only seemed fair that someone else should be tasked with cleaning the kitchen.

However, Neal's volunteerism wasn't altogether altruistic. Right now Sara was seated in the living room with the rest of the adults drinking coffee. He knew there would be hard questions and sad conversations at some point, but right now didn't seem to be the time. There was no need to have that many hurt feelings in one house with no escape.

His mind went back to the conversation he overheard earlier between June and Jade. He could hear the pain of betrayal loud and clear. Somehow, without really trying, he'd broken Jade's heart all over again.

Neal hadn't meant to hurt Jade this time or the last. He always found himself swept up into situations he didn't know how to stop. He cared for Sara deeply and if Jade wasn't back in his life there would be a future there. However, if he had to choose…he'd choose Jade.

He wouldn't lie and say that his daughters didn't factor into the equation because they did. He wanted to be there for his kids seven days a week. Weekends weren't enough in his book. He'd lost too much time with Sofia and Isabella already.

However, it was more than just being a full-time father that drew him to Jade. The truth was that she was his first love. No matter where he went or who he was with there was always going to be a part of him that wanted to be with Jade. She knew the real Neal Caffrey and she loved him anyway.

Jade knew him before the cons, before Kate, before prison, and before the FBI. She knew the purest form of Neal and that meant more to him than anything else. The life he'd craved with Kate wasn't nearly as appealing anymore. In fact it was a constant reminder of what he'd had to give up for is obsession.

Sara walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. She leaned against the fridge and watched Neal rinsing the dishes. "Were you ever going to tell me about your family?"

Neal stopped moving and glanced over his shoulder. He shook his head, "Honestly? Probably not. I didn't think that I'd ever see them again. When Jade says that she is done with something. Rarely does she change her mind. She's always been stubborn and determined."

"I'm less concerned with her mind frame than I am about yours. I thought that we had something Neal and then I come back to find you playing happy families with your ex-wife. A woman that you knew was back in town before I left for my trip. You'll excuse me if I am a little shell-shocked."

Neal closed the dishwasher and started it up. He dried his hand on a towel and asked, "Wine?"

Sara shook her head and said, "I think I'd like to be clear headed for this conversation. I think I'll stick with water if that is alright with you."

Neal poured a glass of Merlot and had a seat at the island. "Please…sit with me. I didn't want to do this now but you deserve answers and I'm going to do my best to give them to you."

She made sure there was a chair between them and took a small sip of water. Sara wanted answers but she could feel the anxiety building within her. The selfish part of her wanted Neal to choose her. The rational side knew better. She just wanted to hear it from him.

"Sara, the time I have spent with you has been amazing. You are beautiful, intelligent, spontaneous, and quirky. All things that I adore in women. You've become a great friend, but…"

Sara chuckled bitterly. "The time you've spent with me."

She pushed back and started to walk away.

"Sara. Please. Just let me talk to you about this. I just want an opportunity to explain everything. Please, don't walk away from me," Neal pleaded.

"Don't. I know when I'm getting the kiss off, Neal. There's no need to explain. You've made your decision."

Neal sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to be this way but everything has changed now and I have a real chance with my family. I can't risk losing them again. Everything I said to you before you left for New Zealand was the truth. I was falling for you, Sara. I wanted something serious. I'd finally gotten over Kate and I was ready to move forward, but Jade being back and turned everything onto its ear. I love her."

Sara put up her hand to stop him. She shook her head and looked into his eyes. "Do you know what I hate the most about this situation?"

He walked over to Sara but kept his distance knowing that was what she wanted at the moment. "What?"

"I can't even be furious at you because I think you are doing the right thing. You are choosing your family. You've got two precious little girls to help raise. As much as I'd like to…I can't fault you for that."

"I never intended to hurt you, Sara," Neal whispered. He reached out and used his thumb to wick away the tears sliding down her cheek. Neal cupped Sara's chin and looked into her eyes.

Sara took a step back and sniffled. She shook her head and said, "But you did, Neal. This has to be the strangest break up I've ever had, but then I guess that is par for the course for you. The Great Neal Caffrey…never a dull moment. Always a great time until he breaks your heart."

Neal watched as the red haired beauty made a hasty exit. He felt even more like a bastard. He was 2 for 2 with making women cry tonight. Neal moved back to the seat at the end of the island and picked up his glass of wine.

June walked into the kitchen having seen Sara head upstairs with glassy eyes. She gently placed a hand on Neal's shoulder and said, "I'm here to listen if you'd like to talk."

"I overheard your conversation with Jade earlier. Well, I overheard most of it. I missed the beginning gambit," Neal revealed. He retrieved a second wine glass and poured a drink for June.

She smiled and had a seat. "I know, Neal. I caught a glimpse of you hovering in the doorway trying to keep out of sight. I wasn't just keeping Jade talking for her own benefit. You needed to hear what was going through her mind as much as she needed a kind ear. You needed to hear the unfiltered version."

"It was like a knife to the heart. It wasn't any easier seeing that look of betrayal on Sara's face. It has never been my intention to hurt anyone, June."

"You need to stop holding on to the mistakes of your past. You are not the same man you were when you let Jade walk out of your life. You've grown and matured. Despite Sara's hurt feelings you did not lead her on. Jade's reemergence changed everything for you. It was unfortunate but not malicious. When that wound starts to heal she will see that."

"I'm tired of being the bad guy, June."

"Oh, sweetheart, you are not a bad person. Human beings are flawed by design. As much as I loved Byron and as much as he loved me…we were both guilty of hurting one another. The people we love the most are often the ones we cause the most grief."

"Jade doesn't trust me, June. How do I get her to believe that I'm a changed man? She still thinks I'm the jerk that chose his own happiness over his family. Worse yet I wasn't happy with my family," said Neal.

June took Neal's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It will not be easy and it will not be fast, but you are going to have to show her that you are changed. You are going to have to show her that you want to be there for her and the children. Not just there for the children. I know it is a cliché but actions really do speak louder than words, Neal."

Peter stepped into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt but Jade just received a message from Alex Hunter. We're setting up a secure line to talk to her," Peter explained.

Neal looked up from his glass of wine. He had to shift gears from morose lover to dedicated investigator. The safety of his family depended on it. He cleared his throat.

"When?"

Peter answered, "Should take 30 minutes tops to get the secure line set up. Agent Cruz is working on it as we speak. We are going to set up the equipment in the den."

Neal nodded numbly. "I'll be there with bells on, Peter."

Peter gave a worried smile but didn't press for answers. He knew Neal would come to him if and when he wanted to talk about what was going on. "I'm going to go check on the progress."

After Peter left the kitchen, June reached over and squeezed Neal's hand. "You and Jade are both young. The advantage of youth is that you have time to be different. Take care of her and those girls and Jade will come around."

Neal kissed June's cheek and smiled at her. "What would I do without you, June?"

June patted his hand and replied, "You'd be just fine without me."

"I'd be a lot sadder," said Neal. He finished the last gulp of wine and left the kitchen.

The den was being used as a command center at the moment. Several electronic devices were running and there was a quiet hum in the room as the agents talked shop with one another.

Hughes looked up seeing Neal walk into the room. "Caffrey, how helpful do you think your friend Alex will be?"

Neal's hands slid into his pants' pockets as he leaned against the wall. He shrugged, "With Alex you can never really be sure. We vacillate between adversaries, friends, and accomplices. It really hinges on what she thinks of me at the moment."

"And what does she think of you at the moment?" asked Hughes quirking an eyebrow.

"She thinks that I'm a lapdog for the feds and a liability to her business and her contacts…"

Special Agent Jones frowned deeply and quipped, "We're asking her for help for what reason?"

"Because besides me no one knows Adler or that fractal better than Alex Hunter."

Jones said, " Fair enough but what does that matter if she refuses to help you. I'm just wondering if there is a plan B."

"Even if Alex refuses to help me…she won't refuse Jade. She's plan B. I just have to go tell her that," said Neal.

Mozzie rolled into the room with an urgent look on his face. "Neal, I need to have a word with you."

Peter looked up and asked, "Is this anything you should be sharing with the class, Mozzie? We're all on the same side here."

"I'll tell Neal, Suit. Then it is up to him to relay the information," said Mozzie.

Hughes gave Peter and exasperated look.

"I'm sorry, sir. Mozzie is an odd duck, but if he says he has something to help the case…I believe that Neal will tell us," said Peter.

"We could always just make the bald guy tell us," said Hughes.

Diana shook her head. "That would only reinforce Mozzie's conspiracy theories about shadowy government agencies manipulating the little guy. Neal is motivated to protect his family. He won't keep this a secret."

Neal said, "You have my word I will keep you updated."

He walked out of the room and went into the kitchen to Mozzie for some privacy. "Moz, what's going on? Alex is going to be calling soon."

"Then I put the pieces together just in time. Do you remember when Sara mentioned a former employee of Adler named Guillermo?" Mozzie asked.

"Sure. He worked on the staff at Adler's place in Argentina. What about him?" asked Neal.

"Something you said this afternoon struck me. I decided to go over the report that Sara gave to Peter. You know we were never able to figure out the identity Gerhardt Wagner or where he ended up after he escaped that detention center. Well, one of my contacts finally came through with the documents I needed. Here is a PDF containing a copy of his passport after his name change," Mozzie handed over his iPad.

Neal studied the photo and had to agree that the pictures looked similar. However, it was the name on the passport that caught his attention. "His name was Michael Alexander Hunter?"

Mozzie took off his glasses to clean the lenses but nodded. "Who do we know with the last name Hunter that knows about the fractal?"

The younger man ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I was right about Alex being the key."

"What are you going to do?" asked Mozzie.

"I won't out Alex's connection to Gerhardt Wagner unless she refuses to help me. Then I'll have to put all my cards on the table and hers too."

Mozzie watched a determined Neal walk out of the kitchen and got the feeling things were about to get interesting.

Neal climbed the stairs to the second floor and then went up to the converted attic where he'd be staying the night with Jade and the kids. Hughes and Peter thought it best that the small family be in the same vicinity.

Jade walked into the small sitting room off from the bedroom and was briefly startled seeing Neal. "I didn't hear you come upstairs."

He smiled and said, "I must have been a cat burglar in a former life."

She stifled a chuckle and asked, "A former life? I remember someone being a pretty stealth burglar in this life. You always followed the golden rules: high end places, no one home, nothing broken. You were an aficionado. Almost as good as my old man."

Neal closed the gap between them and smiled, "I wasn't the only one with impressive skills, Jade. You were very good at taking unwanted items off of people's hands. Your safecracking abilities have always been impressive."

Jade smirked and said, "Now you are just buttering me up. What is it that you want, Neal?"

"Hey! That wasn't me buttering you up. You were like a savant with safecracking. I learned some of my best techniques from you, but I do need a favor."

Jade picked up a small basket and began collecting the girls' toys that were strewn around the sitting room. "What do you need?"

"I'd like you to be there with me when Alex's call comes in. If she won't help me…I know that she'll help you. I need her help figuring out what the fractal is for. It's the only way to shut Adler down for good," Neal explained.

She paused and sat the basket on the couch. "I'll do it."

Neal paused, "There is something else that I need to tell you. Adler's been searching for a German soldier from World War II. After the war he ended up in prison but escaped custody."

"I guess prisons aren't meant to hold everyone in. What does this have to do with the fractal thing?" asked Jade.

"The fractal is part of an antenna. No doubt it's connected to a radio system of some sort. I mean this thing would be a relic."

"World War II era relic?"

Neal nodded, "After Wagner escaped prison he fell off the grid. No one knew where he landed until tonight. Mozzie put it all together. Gerhardt Wagner is Alex's grandfather. That's why she knew what the fractal was and she knows what it leads to. She's going to resist giving up the truth."

"Then I'll just have to turn the screws when I speak to her. Maybe a few tears will help sell this," said Jade.

Neal smiled and said, "Thanks. Peter's setting up a secure line. The girls get to sleep okay?"

"They fell asleep watching Toy Story 3. It was just a matter of time before the dozed off. Today has been a hard day for them. I just hope they don't have any nightmares."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. Neal pulled back to look her in the eyes. "If they do have nightmares we'll be here to help them through it."

"Speaking of…I really don't want to leave them up here alone just in case they do wake up with a nightmare. Do you think June or Elizabeth would be willing to sit up here with them?" asked Jade.

Neal said, "I'll go ask Elizabeth if she wouldn't mind."

"Thank you. I'll finish cleaning up the toys so that I can go to bed when the conversation with Alex is over. The girls aren't the only ones that just want this day to be over. I need rest."

He kissed Jade's forehead and said, "It shouldn't take long."

She smiled and picked up the basket. "Good."

Jade watched Neal walk back down the attic stairs and she went back to tidying. She shook her head thinking about how easy it was for her to fall into familiar patterns with Neal. Jade walked to the bedroom door and smiled seeing the girls resting peacefully. She'd have to find some way to work with Neal for their sake. Sofia and Isabella loved their father and needed him. Her feelings were immaterial to the situation.

Elizabeth and Neal walked up the stairs of the attic together.

Jade greeted them with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to sit up here with the girls, Elizabeth. They are asleep for now but I wouldn't want them to wake up in alone in a strange place. The day has been strange and traumatic enough for my little girls."

Elizabeth said, "I don't mind at all. I have a good book to keep me occupied."

Neal said, "Jade, we should head downstairs. Peter wanted to get the call underway as soon as Lauren gets the secure line up and running."

She nodded slightly and said, "Thanks again, Elizabeth."

Neal returned to the den with Jade and saw that everyone was apparently waiting on them. "All set?"

Hughes nodded and said, "The line is secure and we're monitoring it for interference. We'll know if we have any unwanted listeners. Ms. Hunter should be calling any minute."

Jade and Neal had a seat together on the couch. They were positioned in front of the phone anxiously awaiting the ring.

Ten minutes later the line began to ring and Lauren nodded that it was okay to answer it.

Neal turned on the speakerphone, "Alex?"

"Neal, I've been involved with the FBI a lot because of you. I do not like this trend. Jade's message said that you needed my help. What's going on?" asked Alex.

"Adler's men raided June's house today. June, Elizabeth, Jade, and my girls narrowly escaped capture. His men gravely injured three special agents. We've got to get him off the street before he hurts anyone else."

The line went silent for a minute.

Hughes glanced at Peter wondering if Alex had ended the call.

"What do you need from me, Neal?" asked Alex. Her voice was resigned and saddened.

"Mozzie and I have been scratching our heads about this fractal. We know that it leads us to something. It has to be something major for Adler to risk coming back to the States for it. You know Adler as well as I do…maybe a little better. And I saw the flicker of recognition when you saw the fractal in his office. I know that you don't want to be involved and I'm not asking you to get involved but you have to know that you aren't safe either. Adler wants you for the same reason he wants me…both of us have a piece to his puzzle. He thought I had the music box which contained the key. You had to have another piece of the puzzle…knowledge or access to whatever that fractal leads to."

The line again went silent.

Jade spoke for the first time, "Alex, you've been such a good friend to me over the years. I know that we are putting you in a terrible position with Adler and especially because the feds are involved. If Adler wasn't trying to hurt my family I wouldn't care if the FBI ever caught him. I mean, hate the man love the con. He pulled off one of the greatest schemes of all time, but the fact is he'd like to kill Neal and he tried to take my girls twice in less than a week. I'll do whatever I have to do. I'll make whatever deals I have to make to ensure that he never comes after them again. No one is going to hurt my family and I need your help."

Neal reached over and squeezed Jade's hand. He knew this was hard for her. She was calling in a major chit.

"I...I can't do what you're asking me to do. You don't understand," said Alex.

Jade asked, "Is whatever you and Adler after so important that you'd risk my children's lives for it? Because if Adler gets his hands on Sofia or Isabella you can guarantee I'll never see them again. The man is unhinged. He's been driven mad by this search. A sane man would be content with the money he stole," said Jade.

Neal said, "Alex…please."

"You and the girls should leave New York. The farther away you are the safe you will be. That is all I can offer you."

Jade's eyes hardened. "Your grandfather was a German soldier in the second World War. He went by the name of Gerhardt Wagner. We have most of the pieces to the puzzle. The FBI is going to find this so called treasure and your journey in life will have been for naught. If you help us…you'll at least get to see this bounty that is worth so much for you and Adler. If not…you can see it on the news."

She hung up on Alex.

A hush fell over. No one was quite sure what to say.

Neal looked at Jade and said, "I'm sorry, baby. I know that she's your friend."

"Well, she's not anymore. She put her own petty needs over the lives of my kids. She's nothing to me anymore," said Jade.

Peter was more than a little surprised by Jade's display.

Jade said, "I'm going to go check on my children."

Neal followed her out of the room. "What are you going to do?"

"My father is a son of a bitch but he just might come in handy in this situation. I'm going to call him and trade on whatever love he might have for me. I'll be fine, Neal. You stay here and find a way to figure out what the hell Adler is after." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

Neal was stunned momentarily before reentering the den.

Hughes asked, "Do you want to tell us what that was about?"

Sara said, "I'm interested in that myself. The bureau was never able to figure out Gerhardt's identity once he was in this country. How did you?"

"I didn't. Mozzie did. Something I said earlier triggered a thought process and Moz followed it down. He reached out to a few contacts and pushed them toward a certain angle. They came back with Michael Hunter, Alex's grandfather."


	11. Chapter 11

Neal walked into the attic's living area and frowned seeing Jade seated on the couch with her head in her hands. He knew this situation was taking its toll on her. "Jade…"

She looked up hearing Neal's voice and hastily dried her tears. Jade cleared her voice and asked, "So how are things in the war room?"

"Peter and Hughes are gathering all of the intel they can get their hands on. Alex is being secretive for a reason and they are going to figure it out," Neal promised, he only hoped that Jade believed him. He wasn't sure he believed himself.

"Before Adler kidnaps one of our daughters or worse?" asked Jade in a sardonic tone of voice.

Neal had a seat next to Jade on the couch and said, "I could always use myself as bait to draw Adler out. If that is what you want me to do…I will do it."

Jade frowned at him and said, "That is the stupidest idea that I have ever heard. I would never want you to use yourself as bait in any situation but certainly not this one. Adler is unhinged and you have no idea what he is after. When he figures that out you'd be as good as dead. We don't need grand gestures that will get us nowhere. We need a good plan and we need to know what the psychopath is after."

"My nearest guess is some sort of treasure trove. Adler has always had a penchant for puzzles and treasure hunts. Whatever he thinks Alex and I know must be worth a lot for him to risk coming back to New York. Law enforcement agencies aren't the only people that are looking for him," Neal quipped.

Jade's eyebrow rose questioningly, "What do you mean, Neal?"

Neal said, "Well, Adler wasn't just handling money for your average everyday citizen. Sure he stole from them as well, but was severing as a money launderer for various unsavory characters. When he took off…he fleeced them as well. There are several criminal organizations that would love to have a quiet word with him."

"Really?" asked Jade as a small smile appeared on her face. The wheels in her head began to spin.

Neal frowned and said, "I know that look and it always leads to something catastrophic. What are you thinking, Jade-y, and how dangerous is it?"

"I'm thinking that I should make good on my promise to call my father. He just might come in handy after all," said Jade.

Neal had a very bad feeling about the smirk on Jade's face. Her father wasn't a good man but he was a damn good criminal. His extensive rap sheet could attest to that. However, his underworld connections also spoke volumes for the type of man he was.

"I thought you said that Ernesto got out of the game years ago…"

Jade said, "That's what he told me but I always knew that he was lying. I just didn't want to deal with the implications of what that all meant. As soon as they released my old man from prison he went right back to work with his old crew. He'd served his time honorably and the family welcomed him back with open arms."

"Why would he lie to you about something like that? All of his children know what he is…"

"While my dad was still serving out his sentence I told him that if he came out of prison still up to his old tricks that he'd never see Sofia and Isabella in person again. He might not have been a good father to me but he adores all of his grandchildren. When he got out he told me that he was on the straight and narrow and working as a butcher at a meat market in Chicago," said Jade.

Neal smiled and said, "He always was the best meat butcher in the old neighborhood. When did you find out he was lying to you?"

Jade nodded and said, "I believed him until my brother told me that the meat market was a front for the family. I could have gotten angry and barred him from seeing the kids but it struck me…he was willing to lie and pretend to be on the straight and narrow just to see the girls. That is more of an effort than he ever made for me and my brothers and sisters."

Neal's eyes widened and he said, "That is a very big step for you, Jade. I am surprised that you went along with it…"

"Well, it isn't as if the girls see him enough to be in danger because of his occupation and he does love them. More importantly they adore their abuelo. I think the only person they light up for more is you. I couldn't let my bitterness keep him from being a good grandfather to them."

Neal nodded and said, "Well, he is their only grandfather and they didn't have me in their lives. They needed some type of male role model."

Jade kissed his cheek and said, "They have the very best male role model now…you. They also have their uncles. God blessed me with two really great brothers who spend more time out of prison than inside."

Neal nodded and said, "You hadn't really mentioned your brothers. How are Raffa and Max?"

Jade said, "Raffa is doing well. He's still working with that car theft ring but now it is his and he steers clear of the law. The market for high-end cars never really hits a low point and Raffa doesn't feel guilty because if you don't have a Lamborghini insured…well that is just your own stupidity."

Neal chuckled and said, "That is a long way up from when we were kids and he was stealing whatever car got left running to heat up in the winter."

"Well, he always had a natural acumen for liberating vehicles from their owners. I guess he thought it was a more honest business than what our father was involved in. Max is doing great. He managed to get those juvenile offenses expunged from his record and now he's a CPA. I think he's the only one out of all of my dad's children that is a law abiding citizen."

"Your old man must be so disappointed," joked Neal.

Jade laughed softly, "He kind of was when he found out Max was going to be an accountant. Dad always thought Max's way with numbers would make him invaluable to the family. Luckily, my baby brother never wanted any part of it."

"How old is he now? He was a kid the last time I saw him," Neal lamented, the time really had gone by for all of them.

"He just turned 23. We all got together in Miami for his birthday during Super Bowl weekend. I swear he was like a kid in a candy shop," said Jade.

Neal picked up Jade's hand and said, "Sometimes I wish that I was more like you. I wish that I had family. I mean…I'm all alone."

Jade's breath got caught in her throat seeing how sad Neal looked. "You are not all alone. You have me and the girls and we aren't going anywhere."

"Let's be honest…if this Adler situation doesn't get resolved soon that won't be true either," said Neal.

She scowled at him and said, "I wouldn't just abandon you, Neal. We are you family…good or bad."

The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile. "I'm not saying that you would abandon me, but I can't in good conscience ask you and the girls to stick around if Adler is after me and everything I care about. He knows I don't care about very much."

Jade sighed softly, "You have always been gallant, but I'm not asking you to be. The girls and I have a life here in New York. Besides they know you now…they are old enough to miss you terribly. I won't take them away from you again. I couldn't bear it. They need their father as much as he needs them."

Neal smiled slightly before his mind drifted back to something Jade said earlier. "Why do you want to call your dad?"

"Well, if Adler owes money to some of the families…they might like a tip off that he's back in New York. You know the family my father works for has connections right here in city," said Jade.

Neal closed his eyes a moment in exasperation. "Jade…you know what will happen if they get their hands on him."

"He tried to kidnap our kids, Neal. I don't give a damn what they do to Vincent Adler. I'm sure they will make sure he gets everything he so richly deserves. You can't tell me that you feel any different…"

He sighed heavily, "No, I can't say that I do. In fact…Adler disappearing would be great. A man like that in prison makes me think we'd always be looking over our shoulders for retaliation, but Peter…"

"What Peter doesn't know won't hurt him or us. Besides, it would be protecting him and his wife as well. Adler seems petty and vindictive. Do you really think he'd flinch at going after an agent and his wife?" asked Jade.

"Not likely…Adler has never really been afraid of anyone. I'm sure he feels untouchable after pulling off the biggest ponzi scheme of all time. I trust Peter and he trusts me. We have this…I don't know how to explain it. Since getting me out of prison Peter has always been on my side even when he shouldn't have been. He looks out for me…he cares about me. I don't want to betray him. I can't explain it…"

Jade smiled softly and said, "Of course you can but you are afraid to say it out loud. Peter is older than you. He gives you love, guidance, and support. When you help break a case he's proud of you. Despite the fact that you were a criminal for years he's still impressed with your intellect and talent. He's the father you've never had. I understand not wanting to disappoint him."

"I didn't say that…" Neal argued.

"I know you didn't say it. I said that you were afraid to say it out loud. Even if you don't want to say a father figure he's certainly an older brother figure. I don't want to cause any strife in your relationship with Peter," said Jade. She sighed deeply and her eyes closed trying to think of a new solution.

"Jade, I trust Peter to find Adler. He was able to find me and I am far more cunning than Adler ever was, but if he's still on the loose in two weeks I won't object to you calling Ernesto," said Neal.

Jade looked to Neal and smiled softly, "I can agree to that . Two weeks…I think I remember making you promise something similar earlier in the day."

Neal leaned in and kissed her softly. He lightly caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "Well, we've both been known to be impulsive in certain situations. This is definitely one of those situations. There is something I need to say to you…I talked to Sara tonight and let her know that…"

Jade cut him off, "You don't have to keep me informed about your relationship, Neal."

"What I want to tell you is that there isn't a relationship. I explained to Sara that despite liking her a great deal…I am not love with her," Neal relayed.

She was quiet a moment and then shifted her gaze back to Neal. Jade didn't want to read too much into that statement. "Oh?"

Neal's eyebrow rose and he smirked, "Playing coy has never really been your strong suit."

"I resent that accusation. It wasn't playing coy it was trying not to seem invested in your personal life," said Jade.

"Jade, there was a point when I lost sight of what was really important. I was searching for something to make me happy because I was miserable. That is what the conning was all about. It was like an addiction. I was always chasing that next high. It was never about you not being enough to make me happy," said Neal.

Her eyes narrowed and she moved leaned away from Neal's embrace. "June told you about our conversation?"

She suddenly felt very stupid. Of course June would tell Neal about their conversation. It was no secret that the older woman had a lot of affection for Neal. Undoubtedly, she looked at him as a surrogate grandson.

"June didn't have to tell me anything, Jade. I overheard the conversation. I was going to the kitchen to offer my culinary services when I heard your voice. I know I shouldn't have continued to listen but…it didn't seem like a conversation I should interrupt. I always loved you Jade. I didn't marry you just because you were pregnant with Sofia. Neither of us were particularly religious despite 12 years of parochial school. And it wasn't as if anyone was pressuring me to make an honest woman out of you. I married you because I was in love with you."

Jade sighed and said, "But in the end it wasn't enough. I don't want any more tearful conversations about our sordid past. I just want to move forward and…I don't want to end up bitter and alone like my mother. My dad's inability to be a husband broke her. I'm scared of turning out the same way."

"I am not going to let you end up bitter and alone because no matter how many times you turn me down I will keep trying. You know me, I tend to be incredibly persistent. I will get you to come around to my way of thinking at some point…you know that," said Neal, he flashed a cocky smile.

Jade couldn't help but smile. She shook her head and asked, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Give me the opportunity to prove that I am not the selfish young man I used to be. June gave me a very good piece of advice," said Neal.

"Oh?"

"June reminded me of the old adage…actions speak louder than words. After this situation with Adler is put to bed I think we should date and get to know one another again. We'll see if I can sweep you off of your feet again," said Neal.

Jade playfully rolled her eyes at Neal, "As if you've ever failed at sweeping a woman off of her feet?"

Neal chuckled and replied, "There is a first time for everything."

Jade shook her head and said, "You are a bad influence. I am exhausted and it is time to for me to go to bed. I have no clue what time the girls will wake up in the morning. Are you okay with sleeping out here on the pull-out couch?"

Neal nodded and said, "I'll be fine. You go ahead and go to bed."

Jade stood up and yawned tiredly, "Are you sure that you don't want my help making up the sofa bed?"

"I will probably stay up for a little while. I can make up the sofa bed on my own. Thank you just the same," Neal kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Later that night Neal went down to the kitchen to get something to drink. Thus far he'd been unable to fall asleep. However, he'd looked in on Jade and the girls and was happy to see that they were all resting peacefully.

Peter looked up seeing Neal come into the kitchen. "I thought everyone went to bed hours ago."

Neal glanced at the time on the microwave and said, "I thought this was Diana's shift to stay awake."

Peter took a breath and shook his head, "I was just laying awake and keeping Elizabeth up with my constant tossing and turning. I relieved Diana and told Jones he didn't have to worry about taking his shift either. Coffee?"

Neal said, "I couldn't sleep either but I don't think I want to make it worse by drinking caffeine this late at night. I think I'm just going to have a glass of milk. Thinking about Adler?"

He grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and poured himself a tall glass.

Peter said, "Thinking about Adler and waiting for a forensics team to finish processing my house. Someone tripped the alarm tonight. I haven't had the heart to tell Elizabeth yet. Apparently, the intruders made a mess of the place."

Neal sighed and ran a frustrated hand across his dark hair. "I'm sorry Peter. The last thing I want to do was drag everyone else down."

"Vincent Adler made this about you. He's coming after you not the other way around. You have no reason to be sorry. How are Sofia and Isabella?"

"The girls are fine. They were asleep hours ago. After a day like they've had I don't blame them for being exhausted. I didn't even get to say goodnight, but at least I will be here to say good morning," said Neal, he flashed a genuine smile and took a sip of his milk.

Peter observed that Neal seemed happier than he'd ever seen him. That was saying something considering they were in the sights of a madman. "I'm glad that you are happy, Neal.

Neal smiled and said, "It wouldn't be happening if it weren't for you. You could have left me to rot in federal prison but you didn't. You could have tossed me back in prison for any number of stunts I've pulled…but you haven't."

Peter laughed and asked, "Is that a complaint?"

Neal shook his head and said, "It is a thank you. If it weren't for you I'd be getting to know my little girls through a Plexiglas window one Saturday a month."

Peter said, "Don't underestimate the importance of the changes you've made in your life. You could have cut your anklet and ran months ago. We both know I only caught you the first time because you were looking for Kate. You're great at evading capture if you really want to, but you've stayed here in New York and tried to make a life for yourself…that counts for something. Trust me."

Neal smiled and said, "Thanks, Peter. So has there been any news on Alex?"

Peter shook his head, "No, she's never called back."

"I didn't expect that she would. Alex is stubborn and it is obvious that she is as enamored with this treasure as Adler is," said Neal.

"How's Jade doing? She seemed…"

Neal asked, "Pissed off?"

Peter said, "I wasn't going to put it quite that way, but yes."

Neal said, "She's scared for the girls and me, more than that I think she feels betrayed by Alex. They've become good friends over the years. Jade isn't the type to ask for anything. She hates putting herself out there for rejection and Alex knows that. For Jade to have asked for her help…and then to be turned down that way. It is going to take a long time for her to get over that betrayal and her friendship with Alex is over."

Peter asked, "Did you really think Alex would be willing to help the FBI?"

"I hoped that she'd be willing to help Jade and the girls but I knew that it was a long shot. Jade knew that too, but she doesn't make friends easily," said Neal.

Peter said, "It would seem that most people in your former line of work don't really have large groups of friends."

Neal smiled and said, "The fewer people you count as friends the fewer people there are to betray you."

"No honor among thieves?" asked Peter, he chuckled softly.

"Not as much as you might think. Mozzie and Jade are the only people from that world that I would ever really trust and that is because they love me. They both have reasons not to but they still do. Since the move with Alex didn't pan out…what's next?" asked Neal.

"Hughes has assigned several agents to researching Gerhardt Wagner. We are going to track his every movement from the time he served in the war until the time he died here in the United States under the fake name Michael Hunter. Interpol is being significantly more helpful that we anticipated it. They're doing it under the guise that Adler misappropriated funds from European investors as well."

Neal quirked an eyebrow and asked, "You think they have an ulterior motive."

Peter said, "I've never known them not to. I talked to a case agent and got the distinctive feeling that they were more interested in what Adler was after than actually arresting the man himself."

"So much for interagency cooperation," Neal quipped.

Peter said, "Everyone is out to make a big break for their agency. Cooperation always goes out of the window at that point. The only thing we can do is ensure that we stay a step ahead of them. It won't do for them to find Adler's treasure and leave him on the loose."

Neal cocked his head to one side and said, "Adler won't stop just because the authorities are in possession of what he wants. Honestly, it'd just make it easier for him to intercept whatever it is he has his heart set on."

Peter paused as if in thought. "You just might be on to something, Neal."

The younger man looked at Peter curiously and said, "I don't follow."

"Well, finding Adler is difficult but wouldn't it be better if we maneuvered the situation to where he came to us?" asked Peter.

Neal started to chuckle as he considered what Peter was suggesting, "You mean use the treasure as bait to draw Adler out. He's bound to target whatever agency winds up with it. Magnificent idea, but there is a problem with that…"

Peter blinked his bleary eyes and took a moment to process his plan. He was having a hard time finding fault in it. However, it was 3AM.

He huffed, "Okay…I give up. What is the flaw in my plan?"

"We don't have the treasure, we don't know where the treasure is, and we have no idea what it is," said Neal.

Peter frowned and said, "Eh…well, it wasn't bad for a half-baked scheme in the middle of the night."

Jade walked into the kitchen and smiled slightly, "Is this where all the insomniacs are gathering?"

Neal stood up and walked over to Jade. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded and said, "The girls are fast asleep. I got up looking for you…and you were gone. I…"

Neal took Jade into his arms and held her close. He said, "I couldn't sleep so I came down for a glass of milk and ended up talking to Peter. When I came downstairs you were asleep."

Jade gave and uneasy smile. "I guess you could say that I had a nightmare. I couldn't very well fall asleep after that."

Neal nodded slightly and said, "Sit down. Do you want some milk?"

Jade smiled and said, "Thanks for the offer but I was hoping for an adult beverage."

Neal chuckled and said, "I am sure that June managed to sneak in a bottle of something. I'll have a look around."

Jade had a seat at the island and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. It seemed like the two of you were having a very in-depth conversation."

Peter shook his head and said, "I was just telling him about an idea I had to capture Adler, but Neal, having had more sleep than I spotted a major flaw."

Jade's gaze shifted to Neal as he raided the cabinets looking for liquor. "Neal has the ability to be crushingly sensible when he wants to be."

Peter chuckled at that idea.

Neal looked over his shoulder and quipped, "That's an underhanded compliment if I've ever heard one. Aha! I've hit paydirt."

He held up a bottle of whiskey in triumph.

Jade smiled and said, "June really did pack for every contingency, didn't she. Bless that woman. I think I'll take a shot of whiskey in my coffee. So what is this plan? That is if I am allowed to ask."

Neal poured Jade a cup of coffee and put in a double shot of whiskey. He added cream and sugar the way she liked it and set it in front of her.

Peter said, "Well, my suggestion was we make Adler think that the FBI is in possession of his treasure. He'll come after it and at that point we'd arrest him."

Neal had a seat next to Jade and said, "I pointed out that we don't have enough information about the treasure to make it work. Adler would see the trap for sure."

Jade took a sip of the coffee and sighed happily, "You remember just how I like my coffee."

Neal smiled at her and asked, "How could I forget? It was always more sugar and milk than coffee."

Jade stirred her coffee in thought.

Neal quirked an eyebrow and said, "I know that face. What are you thinking?"

"Not knowing what the treasure is…is that the only problem?" asked Jade.

Neal said, "No, we don't know where the treasure is and we don't have it. Those are two major obstacles."

Jade shook her head and said, "Maybe not, Neal. If we knew more about the treasure…couldn't a fake story be leaked to the press about the discovery of a lifetime. Maybe even a case report on the FBI servers about the recovery. You said that Adler probably has moles in the bureau."

Peter looked up from his cup of coffee and said, "There's no guarantee that he'll believe it."

Jade said, "Adler doesn't have the treasure and doesn't know where it is that's the only reason he still needs Neal and Alex. If news reports and internal documents start indicting that the treasure has been located but the contents are being kept under wraps as a matter of national security…he might go for it."

Neal started to smile.

Peter asked, "What?"

Neal looked at Jade and said, "The job in St. Petersburg."

Peter asked, "Would somebody mind cluing me in…"

Neal said, "If you tell the same lie enough times…people we begin to believe. We can take the same approach with Adler. If he gets information from the media, from his sources at the agency, and from his street level contacts…he'll start to believe it. Then do quiet things like up the security at the FBI's evidence warehouse. Requisition for services of historians, antiquities experts, and appraisers. All of those moves will send up red flags for Adler."

Peter started to grin and said, "In the meantime we can work on finding the actual treasure. I'll have to clear this with Hughes. Falsifying bureau paper work is a major offense that will have OPI breathing down our necks, but it just might work."


	12. Chapter 12

Three days later Neal sat in the backyard of the safehouse watching Sofia and Isabella playing soccer. Earlier in the afternoon he made a makeshift goal out of chairs. Playing soccer with the girls all afternoon had tired Neal out and he was grateful for the chance to take a break. The girls were enjoying being out in the fresh air. He only hoped they didn't notice the presence of armed FBI agents watching over them.

June watched as Neal's brows furrowed in concern. "They are fine Neal. You don't need to worry about them. They think this is like a vacation. The government sure does seize some very nice properties."

"I hope so. I want them to have a normal life. I don't want them to end up in the witness protection program because of my misdeeds," said Neal. That hit too close to home for the conman. The last thing he ever wanted to do was be like his father.

June said, "It isn't going to come to that, Neal. Where's Jade?"

Neal said, "She went in earlier to take a nap. Jade isn't sleeping very well at night. I can't say I blame her for that. She's worried about the girls' safety here. The leaks from the bureau are really putting her on edge. So she sits up for most of the night keeping watch over the girls."

June nodded in understanding. It was a mother's instinct to protect her children and Adler posed a real threat. "How are you and Jade doing? It can't be easy with all the stress and the tension in the house. "

He said, "Jade wants me to be a father to the girls but she is still cautious about dating me. I can't say that I blame her for being hesitant. Who wouldn't be when considering my past?"

"She did not say no, Neal. That is a victory all in itself. If the answer were truly no…she'd say it. She is struggling against what her heart wants and what her pain forbids," June explained.

"I don't think I've ever heard it put quite that way before," Neal quipped.

June smiled, "When a woman experiences betrayal at the hands of the man that she loves it wounds her and that wound can either heal or fester. I'm afraid Jade's wound has festered over the years, but that does not mean it cannot heal. Be who you are, Neal. Show her the love that you feel for her and that wound will begin to heal. And as she heals…she will let you into her heart again. I promise."

Neal smiled and squeezed June's hand. "I'm impatient and I feel as though I should be making up for lost time, but I know that I can't rush Jade. It will only push her farther away from me. She tends to be stubborn."

June chuckled, "It will work out the way it is supposed to. I have faith in that, Neal. I have faith in you. You will have more time to focus on courting Jade once this dirty business with Vincent Adler is put to rest. I've seen you on a full-on charm offensive before. There isn't a woman alive that would be able to resist that face. Be courageous."

"I'm grateful that you are willing to allow Jade, Sofia, and Isabella to move into your house once this is over. I'm sort taking over to just be a lodger," said Neal.

She smiled, "You stopped just being a lodger a very long time ago, Neal. You are part of my family now and that means that your family is always welcome in my home. Besides it will give you the opportunity to be a full-time dad. I happen to think you will be father of the year."

Sara walked out into the backyard and watched the girls playing soccer. Sofia and Isabella's laughter was infectious and it brought a smile to her face.

They looked a lot like Neal despite the difference in complexion. She placed a hand on Neal's shoulder. In the last three days they hadn't talked much unless it involved Adler's case. Sara couldn't bring herself to talk to him about anything else.

Neal looked up seeing Sara and quickly got to his feet. "Hey, Sara. How are you?"

Sara shook her head, "At ease. I'm not here to tear into you about our relationship. I've been working with Mozzie and we've made a discovery. You should probably come inside so that you can hear it. Mozzie will not come out here. He is convinced that Adler's men could be hiding in the trees. I'd say he was paranoid if he hadn't been shot in broad daylight on a public bench."

Neal looked toward the girls momentarily.

June said, "Go on. I'll stay out here with Sofia and Isabella. The agents are here as well to keep us safe. We'll be fine."

Neal smiled at June and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, June."

"I don't mind. Hanging out with the little ones makes me feel young again."

Neal followed Sara into the house and went to Mozzie's room on the first floor. His bald friend had been holed up in his room for two days straight. He was being obsessive even by Mozzie's standards.

Mozzie's eyes were bloodshot and stubble dotted his normally smooth face. He grinned, "Neal! We've cracked it!"

Neal looked at Mozzie's wild eyes and asked, "When is the last time you got any sleep, Moz?"

"Sleep is overrated. We've got to find Adler because I can't stay in a house with the man! I am officially a part of the machine, Neal. Do you know what that means?!" asked Mozzie.

Neal said, "You are not part of the machine, Moz. Peter has you listed as a John Doe on the protection detail roster. You don't have to worry about your identity becoming part of the machine."

Sara had to stifle a chuckle as Neal tried to soothe his conspiracy theorist best friend. "Maybe we should just tell Neal what we've found…"

Mozzie grinned and said, "Oh! Well, I wouldn't have been able to do this without fair Sara. I can see why she's the top insurance investigator at Sterling-Bosch. She's the one that helped me cut the through all of the information to drill down to what was important. I know what Adler's looking for and perhaps even how to find it."

Neal had a seat on Mozzie's bed and said, "I'm all ears, Moz. What do you have?"

"The fractal is an antenna used to pick up the beacon signal from a German U-Boat, but this isn't just any U-Boat. Before this thing disappeared it was rumored to carry tons of literally priceless works of art, jewelry, and gold. Before now it was thought to be just an old war story that people told, but if Adler and Alex are looking for it…then it's real," Mozzie explained.

Neal let out a low whistle, "That is certainly impressive enough to bring Adler out of hiding after all this time. You might as well be saying that he's found the lost city of Atlantis. That's how big this. What else did you two find out?"

"Allegedly, the U-Boat sank off the coast of New York. It was able to fire off a distress call before it went down but it was too late. They were too close to our shores for a German ship to come to the rescue," said Mozzie.

Sara said, "Gerhard Wagner was a radio operator during the war. It doesn't take a huge leap of faith to imagine that he was the operator that took that distress call from the crew."

"Alex must not know exactly where it is or she'd already gone to it. That still doesn't explain how Adler knows about it. He's a history buff but this is obscure even for him," Neal mused.

Mozzie said, "Or she doesn't have the resources to retrieve it. I mean it's a submarine, Neal. When submarines go down they usually don't stop until they hit the bottom. She'd need a salvage crew to retrieve the treasure and surely anyone she hired would steal it for themselves or report it to the authorities. And Adler must not know the location."

Neal asked, "How does Adler even know about what was on the sunken U-Boat?"

Mozzie said, "Ah, that is where fair Sara comes in. I'll let her tell you."

Sara picked up what looked to be the photo copy of a crew roster. "See anything familiar."

Neal's eyes quickly scanned the list and he came across the major clue almost immediately. He shook his head, "That's why Adler knows about the submarine. His father was on it. The old man probably told Adler about it just like Gerhard told Alex. This is huge guys. We've got to tell Peter…and we've got to find that U-Boat before they do. Even if we don't find it right now…this is great."

Sara looked perplexed and said, "I don't follow. We need the U-Boat."

"We need it and I'm sure that we'll find it eventually, but for the misinformation campaign this is perfect. We know exactly what we are looking for. We have a vague idea of where it is located. This will make the story more believable for Adler and Alex. They'll really believe that we found the U-Boat and the treasure it contains. They'll come after it and Peter will intercept them," Neal explained.

Mozzie frowned deeply, "You're really okay with Alex getting arrested by the suit?"

Neal said, "I hope she's able to get away but there's nothing I can do to help her."

Mozzie pointed out, "And you really aren't interested in helping her out."

"Jade isn't the only person that ended their friendship with Alex that night. If the shoe was on the other foot I would have made that sacrifice to keep her children safe. Maybe I have that soft spot because I have children…I don't know, but I can't imagine anything worth more than a child's life," Neal argued.

Sara smiled a little. This compassionate side of Neal made her love him even more. Beyond the charming con artist he was a man with a good heart. It made letting him go that much more difficult.

Neal said, "I've got to tell Peter and Hughes about all of this. This is just the break we've been looking for."

He hugged Sara and said, "Thank you for helping Mozzie with this. I had hit a bring wall yesterday and wasn't doing much in the way of helping him crack the mystery."

Sara smiled, "You're welcome Neal, but it was nothing. Sometimes all it takes for a break in a case is to look at it with fresh eyes. I do that all the time with my investigations. I just have to take a step back and rest before I can start looking at the same evidence all over again."

Mozzie said, "We haven't told you everything."

Neal pulled back from the hug and looked over at Mozzie, "What did you leave out?"

"I've finished the work on the antenna. It will work and it should help us find the U-Boat. The submarine should be emitting a low-grade passive frequency. If we are in close enough proximity then my antenna should pick up on it," said Mozzie.

The petite man smiled in delight. He was incredibly proud of himself. He had done the near impossible and done so on little to no sleep and with a conspiracy happily running though his head.

Neal said, "We've got to go back to the city so that we can find this submarine before Adler does. If Adler gets to the treasure first he'll disappear and we will never see or hear from him again."

Sara nodded in agreement, "The massive amount of money that he stole from his clients is enough for him to live on for the rest of his miserable life. He came back for this treasure because it is personal. This means something to him. Once he gets it…he has no reason to stick around or ever make his presence known again."

* * *

That night after dinner everyone with the exception of Mozzie, June, and the kids sat around in the family room sorting through the newly gleaned information. One half of the group was focused on crafting the perfect misinformation campaign to lure in Adler.

The other half of the group was scouring maritime maps. They were trying to estimate the location of where the submarine sank. They would need to be nearly onto top of the sunken vessel for Mozzie's antenna to be of any use.

Neal flipped his fedora in thought. "Keep in mind that it would not have sunk straight down like a stone. It was a moving object so it should be closer inland than the coordinates from that distress call."

Sara said, "I just don't understand how anyone escaped that accident. You sink to the bottom of the ocean in a sealed metal tube. That sounds sort of final."

Hughes answered, "A lot of men died in U-Boat accidents but there were some survivors. If you weren't horribly injured and if you were prepared a sailor could put on a Drager and swim to the surface. The Drager acted like an artificial lung. And the escape hatches could be opened once the submarine was flooded with water."

"Well, I guess I learn something new every day. So, Adler's father manages to escape death on the U-Boat and goes on to have and raise a family right here in America. Over the years he tells Adler about this great treasure sitting at the bottom of the sea that no one really knows about," said Sara.

Neal nodded, "Adler's father was one of less than a handful of people that survived that accident. I guess he didn't count on anyone else knowing about it."

Hughes marked off the area that they would search the following day.

Peter frowned looking at the area, "That is a pretty wide swath of water to cover in a grid by grid search. How many boats will the Coast Guard be able to lend us for the search?"

Hughes replied, "We'll have their full cooperation. They've promised us full use of all of their watercrafts and we'll be flying overhead in a helicopter to keep an eye on the search. Neal, tell Mozzie…I mean John Doe that we're leaving at 3 AM to get back to the city before daylight."

Neal frowned deeply, "I'm not sure that Mozzie is going to be up for that."

Hughes scowled and demanded, "What do you me he's not going to be up for that."

"Moz, is experiencing a little agoraphobia. He's terrified that Adler is going to kill him if he ventures outside. I'm certain that would go doubly for returning to Manhattan and searching for the same submarine that Adler and his men will be hunting for," Neal explained.

Peter said, "He has been a little off since we've got here and that's saying something for Mozzie."

Hughes sardonically asked, "How can you tell?"

Peter chuckled, "Mozzie is always paranoid but at the moment he's just scared. There is not conspiracy theory…he just doesn't want to give Adler another crack at him. I can't say that I blame him. Getting shot tends to have that affect on most people."

Hughes looked down at his thigh and silently reminisced about the time he was shot in the line of duty. It had taken him a couple months to get over being jumpy while out in the field and he was emotionally stable to begin with.

Hughes said, "He's going to have to teach someone how to use that antenna. I don't think anyone in our employ is up on World War II era technology. Not anyone that I currently trust, anyway."

Neal said, "I'll just go with you guys. Mozzie can teach me and I already have some experience with this sort of equipment. It'll be fine."

Jade heard his offer from across the room and the expression on her face was priceless. "Neal, can I have a word with you?"

Peter winced hearing the tone of Jade's voice. He'd heard that tone from Elizabeth on the odd occasion. It did not bode well for his CI.

Neal said, "I'll be back."

He followed Jade out into the hallway and said, "I know that you don't think this is a good idea but I have to do this or the entire thing might fail and all of this will have been for naught."

"Adler wants you specifically, Neal. You going back to Manhattan and putting yourself in the line of fire just makes it that much easier for Adler to do something horrible," said Jade.

"The longer we wait to draw Adler into this trap the more likely it is that he will find the submarine on his own. He'll disappear again and we still might not be safe. If I am there helping the team with the antenna then it may not take as long to find the submarine."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Neal, that isn't your job. That's the FBI's job. Let them do it. You don't have to go out there and risk your life."

"That is my job. I help Peter and the bureau on cases all of the time and sometimes it is dangerous. Sometimes I get hurt but it is my job and I'm good at it," said Neal.

"You are a CI and on a good day you're a consultant. They don't pay you enough money to risk your life, Neal. You're not a federal employee. You don't have any benefits or a retirement plan. You are risking your life for an arrangement that has an end date and then what? You should be concerned about your family! Isabella and Sofia love you and I don't want to think about them losing you for a second time," said Jade.

Neal took a steadying breath. He wasn't interested in arguing with Jade but his mind was made up. However, that wasn't to say that her evaluation of his position with bureau wasn't scathing.

He said, "I love my job, Jade. I know I'm not a real agent. I know that you feel like this arrangement is taking advantage of me but I like what I do. I like feeling like I'm making things better. More than any of that…those people in that room are my coworkers. We're a team. I can't just let my team go out there without me. They're in danger too because of me."

Jade nodded slightly and blinked back tears, "You're right. This is your job and it's not right for me ask you to not do it. It obviously means a lot to you."

She turned and walked away.

Neal caught up to Jade and said, "Jade, please don't walk away."

She shook her head and said, "It is fine, Neal. I understand. I just got upset. I don't want anything to happen to you. The girls need you. I need you too. I love you."

He smiled looking into her eyes, "I love you too and I promise that I will return safely to the three of you. You have my word, Jade."

She hugged him as tight as she could manage. "I think I am going to head upstairs and check on the girls."

"Alright, I'll see you later," said Neal. He leaned in and kissed her softly before heading back down the hall.

Jade went up to the converted attic and quietly slipped into the bedroom. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb her slumbering daughters. Jade grabbed a suitcase from the closet and pulled it out to the sitting room where Neal normally slept. She search through the contents and pulled out a burner phone. She muttered, "Never leave home without one."

After taking a deep breath she had a seat on the couch and made a call. Jade knew that this was a bad idea but she didn't want Neal getting hurt. Desperate times did indeed call for desperate measures.

She chewed on her lip as the line started to ring.

A man answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Dad, it's Jade."

"Jade, I didn't expect to hear from you. How are Sofia and Isabella?"

"They're great. Actually, I didn't call to talk about the girls."

"Oh, I was under the impression that my grandchildren were the only thing we were allowed to talk about on the phone. Change of heart?" he asked. He knew that it wasn't likely. His daughter could carry a grudge when it came to him, not that it was undeserved.

Jade bit her lip and then said, "I have some information that the family might find very interesting. I figured you were the person to call."

"Our family?" Ernesto asked, but he knew very well what family she was talking about.

"Your family," said Jade, her voice went a little higher as the irritation shone through.

Ernesto said, "I'm listening."

"What do you know about Vincent Adler?" asked Jade. She let the name hang in the air to see if he'd press further.

"I think the better question is what do you know about Vincent Adler, mi hija?" Ernesto countered.

"I know that he is back in the United States. I know that he is back in the state of New York. I also know that there are some very angry people looking for him. I thought you might find that information useful," said Jade.

He chuckled and asked, "What's he done to piss you off, baby girl? It has to be something major for you to turn the dogs loose on him. You know what happens if my family finds him."

Jade said, "He tried to kidnap Isabella."

She knew if nothing else that piece of information would get her father's attention. Whatever their relationship might not be the man adored his granddaughters.

Ernesto sat up stiff as a board, "You said that they were great."

"And they are for now, but Adler tried to kidnap Isabella from the park about a week ago. He tried to kidnap all of us a few days ago," said Jade.

"What would he want with you? Crossed the wrong paths in your business?" asked Ernesto.

"You know I'm cleaner than that. No one knows my identity and I've worked hard to keep it that way. Vincent Adler went after my little girls because he's after Neal. He wants Neal's help and tried to kidnap the girls as leverage. He's a murderer and I have no doubt what will happen if he gets his hands on one of the girls or Neal."

Ernesto ran a hand over his bearded face. "I do know some people that would be very interested in his whereabouts but New York is vague, baby girl."

Jade said, "I can almost guarantee that he's in Manhattan, but I'll tell what…any intel I get on Adler I'll funnel it straight to you. Don't tell anyone where you got this from."

He chuckled, "I wouldn't dare. Call me as soon as you know anything more."

"I will."

Ernesto paused and said, "Before you go…what are you doing around Neal? I thought that was over and done with after you went to Rome."

"I thought it was too but he reached out to me. He saved me from something and we sort of reconnected. I introduced him to Isabella and reintroduced him to Sofia," Jade replied.

"Are the two of you back together?" asked Ernesto confused.

"Maybe. I don't know. I should get going. I need to start gathering that intel I promised. Goodbye, Dad."

Ernesto said, "Hug my girls for me. Goodbye."

Jade ended the call and took the SIM card out of the phone and hid it. She took a breath, looked in on the girls, and went back down to the family room to help the rest of the team.

Neal looked up seeing Jade come into the room. "I didn't expect you back tonight."

She smiled, "I just needed to collect myself. If I want to keep you and the girls safe I should probably dig in and get my hands dirty."

Neal kissed her cheek and smiled, "Thank you. Come on you can help with the maps."

She said, "I think I'll go back to working on the misinformation. I'm good at that."

Jade rejoined the group she'd been with from the beginning and her eyes fell onto a folder labeled Adler. She knew for certain the bureau's theories about his whereabouts were contained in that folder. Jade picked it up and casually flicked through it. Her eyes scanned the pages and then she replaced it on the stack.


	13. Chapter 13

A week later Peter walked into the makeshift squad room at the safe house. He looked exhausted and he was. The past week was filled with triumphs and crushing defeats. They were so close to apprehending Vincent Adler and yet it looked as if it all might go up in smoke. Adler was not their only foe now. There more leaks in the bureau than a sieve. It was becoming quite the embarrassment for the higher ups. It was only a matter of time before this information was public knowledge. The only solace was that the bureau was not the only agency hemorrhaging information.

He grumbled looking at the map of the search grid. The last three days were completely wasted because of a storm system moving through. Their window of opportunity was getting smaller by the day. They had to go on the premise that Adler had as much if not more information as they had on the location of the submarine. He picked up a bottle of Pepto.

Neal looked up hearing Peter groan as he swallowed half the bottle of Pepto-Bismol. He chuckled and asked, "June's chili con carne coming back to haunt you? You are a brave man for eating three bowls. You didn't even use the sour cream to take some of the sting out of it."

"I wish it was something that easy. This indigestion is stress related. Although, I guess the chili con carne probably is not helping the situation, but it was just so good. Those jalapeno corn muffins were delicious too. I understand now why you love living with June so much."

"What's going on? I thought things were going well. Our few days of searching for the submarine did not yield the results that we want but we still have a large grid to search. We are bound to find it. The misinformation campaign is working like a charm. We're this close to finding the moles inside the bureau," Neal said, he squeezed his fingers together for emphasis.

He was feeling sufficiently pleased with their progress. Neal had not been quite this optimistic at the outset.

"I am going to wait until Hughes gets back in a few minutes. He is in the middle of a teleconference briefing that is not going over well. We've got problems, Neal. We'll have to figure out how to proceed from here on out."

Neal frowned. He didn't like the distressed tone of Peter's voice. The older man rarely became excitable about anything good or bad. This had to be something of note.

Peter sat down on the couch and asked, "How is your family holding up?"

Neal shrugged, "The girls are fine. They are having a blast exploring the house and playing soccer outside. They aren't really concerned about much of anything. Jade on the other hand is climbing the walls with anxiety. She is trying to pretend that everything is all right but I know better. The good news is that she is warming up to me a little. She's agreed to date me. That is definitely progress for the two of us. She's just worried that I am going to get myself killed."

Peter said, "That isn't an unreasonable concern considering Adler's history. Are you two going to be okay?"

"Well, I'm sure everyone overheard our argument in the hallway. Jade was upset at first but she's calmed down since then. She understands that I have to do this. How is Elizabeth?"

"El is fine. I hate that she is missing work right now but we can't take chances after what happened at June's house. Elizabeth is more worried about you and me than she is about her own personal safety, but then that is her nature. Secretly, she has always hoped that my position in the White Collar Division would keep me away from the more dangerous cases."

Neal frowned and replied, "Well, that was true until I stumbled into your life. Now you never know what is just around the bend. Do you ever regret it?"

Peter studied Neal's face and frowned seeing the pensive expression. He said, "You are a constant pain in my neck, Neal, but you are a genius. I love having you on the team. I closed plenty of cases before you were released into my custody but I have closed so many more now. When I work a case with you I never know what is going to happen."

Neal chuckled ruefully, "That's not always a good thing. If we are being honest, it is usually a bad thing. I have caused a lot of chaos in your otherwise quiet life."

"You aren't the most disciplined investigator and you do like everything to have a certain flourish but you are amazing. You could have been and still could be anything you want to be, Neal. One day your sentence will be over and you will have the opportunity to make your life into whatever you want it to be. I will be incredibly proud to have had some small part in that. So to answer your question…no, I've never regretted securing your release. Elizabeth doesn't either. You know that she is always your biggest supporter. Even if it drives me insane."

Neal didn't want to admit how much that information made him smile. He tried to tell himself that he didn't need Peter's approval, but what Jade said about their relationship was still prominent in his mind. He did look at Peter as a father figure even if he never had the courage to admit it aloud. He couldn't take the chance that Peter wouldn't view their relationship that way. Neal already felt rejected by his biological father. He could not stand the sting of rejection from his surrogate father. This was as close as Neal would ever get to a father/son moment but he liked it.

Before the silence in the room could become awkward Hughes, Jones, and Barrigan walked in. Their fearless leader's face looked even grimmer than Peter's had.

Hughes cleared his throat and said, "I just finished up a very long conversation with the head of the Organized Crime Division. There are several operations very interested in Adler's whereabouts. Crime families in New York and Chicago are trying to track Adler's movements. Someone tipped them off that he was back in the United States. The information had to have come from someone in the bureau."

"I do not understand how that is even possible. We have been holding all of the information close to the vest to prevent it from leaking out," Peter argued.

"We have been trying to keep the information from Adler and it appears as if that mission has been successful thus far. We were never intending to keep his reemergence a secret and we weren't as careful with that information. You're team has filed reports with that information," Hughes explained.

Jones interjected, "I don't understand why a Chicago family is interested in Adler. I get New York's interest. Did we miss some of Adler's victims during the investigation?"

Hughes replied, "It is possible that we missed something in the initial investigation or the transactions were just well hidden. It isn't unusual for organized crime syndicates to use legal business fronts, shell companies, or investment groups to launder their money. Adler didn't know the identities of the people he was ripping off."

Peter nodded in agreement, "The organized crime division busted a laundry chain a couple of months ago. It was a perfect place to quietly launder clothes and money. They love a cash business where the books can be more than a little negligible."

Hughes said, "It doesn't matter how the families found out…it matters now that we find Adler before they do. The director not only wants Adler behind bars but there is hope that we might be able to retrieve some of the money. Taking Vincent Adler alive is our number one goal and that doesn't happen if he gets murdered or just disappears again."

Neal's face went ashen when he heard the city of Chicago mentioned. If it was just the New York families he might have chalked it up to the moles inside the bureau. However, the Chicago angle made him worry that Jade was the leak. He tried to remember if she had encountered the folder on Adler's whereabouts. He couldn't pinpoint a specific time but he knew that it was possible. Neal had to hold back a sigh of frustration. Jade was putting herself in danger of being charged with some federal crime. There was no doubt that the bureau would come down on her like ton of bricks if Adler was murdered before they could take their pound of flesh.

Peter shook Neal's shoulder, "Are you listening?"

Neal was startled but quickly regained his composure, "Uh, sorry. I was just thinking and I got lost in the conversation."

Hughes said, "Well, try to keep up, Caffrey."

Peter glanced at Neal not believing him for a second. It was out of character for Neal to just zone out in the middle of a briefing.

Hughes continued, "The storm system that kept us out of the air today will be gone by tomorrow. We can resume the search first thing in the morning. We will pull out of here at 5 AM. The sooner we locate that submarine, the sooner we can use it as real bait to lure in Adler. The misinformation is well enough but being able to show the treasure on the national news would bring him out of hiding for sure."

Neal nodded, "I will be ready to go with the antenna first thing tomorrow morning. I am going to go tell Mozzie that the search is back on."

Peter nodded and said, "I'll see you in the morning, Neal."

He watched the younger man exit the room and felt uneasy. Something seemed off about Neal but he wasn't sure what it was.

Hughes looked at Peter, "I know that face. Anything I should be concerned about, Burke?"

"No, sir. Neal is just having some family trouble. Being in such tight quarters with his ex-girlfriend and ex-wife isn't exactly helping the situation."

"Just make sure that he keeps his head in the game. He will have plenty of time to work on his family once Vincent Adler is in custody. Now is not the time to take our eye off the ball."

Peter said, "I'll make sure to keep Neal focused."

However, Peter wasn't really sure what was going on but he had been getting a strange feeling for the last couple of days. Neal seemed odd and that never boded well.

* * *

Jade walked into the attic's living room dressed in a robe. Her wet hair was wrapped up in a dry towel. She frowned seeing Neal searching her purse. She cleared her throat and placed a hand on her hip.

"Looking for something, Neal?"

Neal whirled around and stood face-to-face with his angry ex-wife. In any other situation, he would just charm her but now was not the time for that. Neal needed truthful answers from her.

"I was looking for your cell phone, Jade. We need to talk."

She brushed past Neal, put her belongings back into her purse and had a seat on the fold out couch. "Any reason in particular you felt the need to search my purse for it? You could have just asked me for my phone, but then again I get the feeling you didn't want me to know. Well, I'm here now so…talk to me, Neal."

"Did you do it?" asked Neal. There was no guile or maneuvering on his part. He asked a straightforward question and wanted a straightforward answer. Neal's heart was in his throat as he waited for her reply.

This was a woman that he loved enough to marry at one point in his life. She was his childhood friend and the mother of his two beautiful girls. The last thing he wanted to believe was that she would betray him. He had asked for time and she agreed to wait. Jade had always been truthful with him.

Jade asked, "Are you asking for yourself or are you asking for the FBI?"

He shook his head and his eyes darkened with sadness. Neal ran a frustrated handed through his perfectly styled hair.

"I saved you from getting arrested. Do not pretend as if I would turn you over to the authorities, Jade. You know me better than that. If we are going to be in a relationship then we need to be truthful with one another. When did you do it?"

Jade removed the towel from her head and shook her hair loose. Her expressive eyes pinning Neal into a gaze he couldn't really break.

"I wasn't about to sit around and let you get murdered by Adler because you have some strange dedication to Peter and the bureau. I've just got you back…I'm not losing you again, Neal. I did what I had to do to protect our family," said Jade.

"Protect us? You just made this situation more dangerous, Jade. You know the old saying, too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the soup. Having law enforcement and criminals looking for Adler is dangerous not to mention it may force him back into hiding for now. We want to end this…not have Adler pop back out in a few years."

Jade reached out and took Neal's hand. She said, "Adler being back in the U.S. was not going to stay a secret for long. You know that the bureau has more holes than a colander. The families were always going to find out about him. I just decided to speed up the process. Trust me, Neal, this whole ordeal will be over permanently if one of the families catches him. There won't be a prison from which he can plan some little revenge tour. He will be out of our lives for good and we can just live. We won't have to look over our shoulders wondering when he is going to strike. I put distance between my father and myself because I didn't want his bad habits putting our girls in danger. Your past got our daughters nearly kidnapped…twice!"

Neal had a seat next to Jade and asked, "How can you not see what you've done, Jade? You've put the team at risk. You put yourself at risk by passing on information on to a criminal enterprise. You could go to prison for a long time. What about the girls?"

"I did this for the girls. They deserve to have both parents alive and well. They deserve to be able to sleep without nightmares of some freak having them kidnapped. Are you going to tell Peter?"

Neal sighed heavily and shook his head, "Of course not, Jade. I love you. I'm not going to turn you in but what you are doing has to stop. You can't pass along anymore information to your father."

"You knew who I was when you married me, Neal. I am the same person I always was. I'll do whatever I have to when it comes to protecting my family. If you don't find that particularly attractive then maybe you need to patch up things with Sara."

Neal reached for her hand and said, "I don't care what happens to Adler one way or another, Jade. This isn't about the fact that he might die. I am worried that you might get caught. Hughes is already trying to figure out where the leak came from. Just like you don't want to lose me…well, I don't want to lose you either. I don't want to be with Sara. I want to be with you."

Jade sighed softly hearing the sincerity of his words. "I'm sorry. I panicked and I did the first thing that came to mind. My father isn't good for much of anything but…I knew this was one thing he could actually help with. They don't really need any more information from me. They very nearly caught him today. Had he left the hotel one hour later we would be having a very different conversation right now."

Neal put an arm around Jade's shoulders. He was quiet for a second and said, "I can't believe you actually called your father. I thought you hated his career."

"I do, but sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil. Although, it wasn't like I needed to do much bargaining. Adler has a lot of enemies and my father is always willing to sell good information. Besides, he was gung ho after I mentioned the kidnapping attempts."

Neal asked, "Should I be worried for my safety since I am at fault?"

Jade shook her head, "My father always liked you, Neal. He thought we were good together. He was surprised when we got a divorce and I moved to Rome, but he's really in no place to judge. Even with you being out of the girls' lives you are still a better father to them than he ever was to me. I guess some men are better grandfathers than fathers."

Neal chuckled softly, "Do you ever get jealous?"

She shook her head, "Sometimes I wish that he loved me even a little but I'm glad that he shows love to Isabella and Sofia. Their happiness matters more to me than my own sadness. I love my father…he gave me life. Anything after that is mostly optional."

"I wish I felt that magnanimous about my own father," said Neal.

"I have had longer to come to terms with exactly who my father is and what he does for a living. You had everything dropped on your lap as an adult and you refused to deal with how it all made you feel. You'll get to the place that I am one day but it takes work, Neal Caffrey. Are we okay?"

Neal nodded and took her hand. He placed a soft kiss against her knuckles, "I'm not angry with you, Jade. I understand why you did it and if I am honest with myself, I should have expected it. You agreed to my plan much too easily. You have to promise me from here on out that you won't break anymore laws and unless we talk about it first."

She smirked and asked, "Felony by committee?"

Neal chuckled, "I know how Peter works and I know how the bureau works. If you are going to do something illegal, I want to be able to protect you. Federal prison is not as fun as you might think."

"I swear on my life that I will be a perfectly law abiding citizen for at least the next 6 months. That is all that I can promise to you on such short notice," said Jade.

He smiled looking into her eyes and said, "Well, then I guess I will just have to take it. It is getting late and I need to get up at three if I am going to be ready to leave in the morning. The search for the submarine is back on."

Jade nodded, "Just promise me that you are going to be safe."

"I will be with the Coast Guard and the FBI. I think I will be very safe," said Neal.

"Well, I guess that will have to be good enough."

Neal leaned in and kissed her. "I am going to take a shower now. I won't have time in the morning. Goodnight, Jade."

She smiled, "Night."

Neal gathered his toiletry bag and entered the bathroom. There was a lot on his mind but he had to put everything out of the way so he could focus tomorrow.

He took a quick shower knowing that 11:00 was quickly approaching. He would need more than a couple of hours of sleep to be prepared for the long day ahead.

After showering, washing his hair, and brushing his teeth Neal dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms before returning to the attic's living room. The lights were out so he assumed that Jade had already turned in for the night with the girls.

He placed his toiletry bag on the side table and climbed into the bed only to feel a body beside him.

Jade opened her eyes and smiled at Neal. "Do you mind if I sleep in here with you tonight?"

Neal's eyes widened and he asked, "What about the girls?"

"They will sleep through the night and you'll be long gone before they wake up in the morning. I really just wanted to sleep with you tonight. If you don't want me to…"

Neal leaned in placing a soft kiss on her lips effectively silencing her. He lightly caressed her arm and smiled, "I can't think of anything better than waking up with you next to me."

She snuggled into Neal's chest and said, "Night."

He smiled and said, "Goodnight."


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning Jade stood at the stove making breakfast. Despite her best efforts she was unable to go back to sleep after Neal left. She was nervous about today's search and worried that one of the leaks in the FBI would lead Adler right to them.

Jade went for a two mile run that morning along with Special Agent Cruz. She felt a little better and was grateful for the opportunity to get out of the house.

Mozzie rolled into the kitchen and smiled seeing June, Elizabeth, and Jade hard at work. He asked, "What are you lovely ladies making for breakfast this morning?"

June turned to look at Mozzie and said, "Well, I do like being called lovely first thing in the morning, but breakfast is a secret. You will just have to wait until it is ready."

"I wait with bated breath. Oh, I thought that everyone would want to know that I got a text message from Neal. He says that they still haven't found the U-Boat but he's hopeful that today will be the day."

Elizabeth stopped mixing the pancake batter for a moment and said, "I think we are all hoping for that. The sooner they find this sunken wreck the sooner we can all go back to our lives."

Jade nodded in agreement, "I don't know how much longer the gallery is going to be understanding about my leave of absence. I was very vague about the reasons to begin with. I am sure you must be missing out on catering jobs, Elizabeth."

"You are exactly right. I've had several loyal clients call to ask for my services and I've had to turn them down. I keep making up a story about a sick relative. It will run thin eventually."

Mozzie smiled and said, "You are definitely getting a lot of practice doing the cooking here, Mrs. Suit."

Elizabeth laughed softly, "Well, I have been able to try out a few new recipes. It is nice being able to get feedback from so many different people. Peter's assessments can leave something to be desired. I could grill a hot dog and cover it with chili from a can and he would be in heaven."

June chuckled in response, "Men can be that way. My Byron was not a picky eater and he never understood why I wanted to do anything differently."

Mozzie cleared his throat and said, "I take exception to that comment."

June crossed to Mozzie and placed a small kiss on his cheek. She said, "You are always the exception to the rule, Mozzie."

His chest puffed out a little with pride and he smiled graciously. "Well, when you put it that way…I approve."

Elizabeth and Jade looked at one another and chuckled.

June moved back to the counter and asked, "Jade, have you heard from Alex?"

Jade sadly shook her head. She took in a sharp breath and replied, "I didn't think that I would. We're at cross purposes and Alex made her choice. I hate that because she's been a friend."

"I wouldn't write her off just yet. She was in an impossible situation. I know it seems black and white from your point of view but I've come to understand over the years that what you see as black and white someone else sees as Technicolor."

Elizabeth agreed, "I can't say that I would do what she is doing but I can understand the temptation. This is her family's legacy. It is something incredibly special that she shared with her grandfather. The idea of just turning it all over to the authorities has to be painful and a decision that she couldn't make lightly."

June chimed in, "And definitely not on the spot with the FBI obviously listening in."

Jade hated to admit but the women were making sense. She and Alex shared a serious distrust of all things law enforcement. The only reason she was warm toward Peter and his team was that Neal trusted these people implicitly. More importantly, if the rumors about this treasure trove were right no one would just chuck it away without careful thought. It was the equivalent of finding the lost city of Atlantis.

"I can admit that I might have overreacted. I was just hurt. My children are in danger and I would do anything to protect them. So for me there is no need to think. The right thing is to give it over to the FBI and let them rid us all of Vincent Adler, but I can understand why Alex would be reluctant."

June nodded and said, "Neal said that he was worried about you. He mentioned that Alex might be your only real friend."

Jade felt embarrassed and didn't know how to address that. Finally, she said, "I've never been the typical girl. I had to grow up fast, I'm not exactly what you'd call great fun but Alex, and I just clicked. I have people that I go out for drinks with but it is all superficial. Those people don't know anything about me and I don't want them to."

Elizabeth interjected, "I've began to realize that yours is a very solitary life. Not just you in particular but Mozzie and Neal come across the same way. They have very few friends and even fewer attachments."

The younger woman nodded, "It is easier that way. It doesn't hurt as much when you have to leave it all behind. There comes a time when you just have to walk away. One of my aunts has left entire lives behind. Apartment, furniture, friends, and boyfriends all cast aside without so much as a backwards glance."

Elizabeth looked at Jade sadly and declared, "How lonely that must be. Why do it?"

"It would be a cop out to say that it is the only life I know. It was the way I was raised but I could have been different if I really tried. I just didn't try. It was the path of least resistance and it was fun. God it was so much fun. The thrill of it all is like nothing else I've ever experienced. It always made me feel so alive. In many ways it brought Neal and I closer. We were the only two people in the world that we could trust and it bonded us together."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"One day I realized that I was setting our Sofia up for the same dangerous and mostly empty life. I think we were worse because at least my mother was settled. We didn't move around when I was a kid. Neal and I moved all over the place with poor Sofia just along for the ride. There was no stability and no family. I decided that was no way to raise a child. Our daughter deserved better than that from us. When we finally settled down in New York, I thought that everything would fall into place but Neal was still looking for that thrill. He needed the chase more than he needed a stable family life."

June said, "This is going to sound sexist but I truly believe that men and women just mature at different speeds. You were in your early twenties and you were a mother. It is perfectly normal for you to want to settle down and have some normalcy in your life, but it is just as understandable why a man Neal's age would have rebelled against that wholeheartedly."

Jade said, "I understand a little more now. I can definitely say that Neal has matured a lot in our time apart. He seems like a completely new man. I mean I still see bits and pieces of the Neal I grew up with but every day I get to know him better and I love him a little more."

June asked, "Have you told Neal that?"

"Not in so many words."

Elizabeth laughed and asked, "In how many words exactly?"

"Okay, I haven't really said it at all. I just don't want to scare him off and make him think I am getting too serious too fast. I keep telling myself that we need to take it slow and I am failing miserably," Jade explained.

"It is always that way when you are in love. Peter swept me off me feet almost immediately. I didn't even have time to realize was falling in love with him."

June agreed, "It was the same way with my Byron. I tried playing hard to get and it worked for a time but after awhile I let him catch me. It is nice to be pursued."

Jade tried not to look embarrassed but June had hit the nail on the end. She was rather enjoying Neal's attempts to woo her. It was stark contrast to the last time around where she was the pursuer.

June smiled at the look on Jade's face but didn't say another word. She had high hopes that Neal and Jade were going to work things out. They both wanted this relationship. They would just have to stop sabotaging themselves.

Jade's phone started to ring. She pulled it from her pocket and frowned seeing an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Well, you must be the lovely woman I saw at the park with Neal," said Vincent Adler.

Jade swallowed thickly and asked, "What do you want?"

"Now that isn't very polite of you. I think that we should properly introduce ourselves. My name is Vincent Adler. Your name is?"

June and Elizabeth moved closer to Jade trying to hear what was being said.

Jade put the phone on speaker and said, "My name isn't important. I was raised to never talk to strangers. I'm afraid they don't come any stranger than an eccentric billionaire. If you don't spit out your reason for calling then I'm hanging up."

"You wouldn't do that not when I have your dear friend, Alex Hunter, with me. Check your text messages. I am sure that you will see that you have a new message."

Quickly she flicked through her messages and sure enough, there was a photo of Alex bound to a chair. She was in front of a brick wall and Vincent Adler was holding a copy of today's newspaper in front of her.

Elizabeth ran from the kitchen to retrieve an agent upon seeing the picture. Someone needed to know what was going on. There was no telling what that mad man would to do his hostage.

The young mother chewed at her lip in an attempt to think of way to keep Adler on the phone. As soon as he was done giving her his message, he would hang up and they would lose contact with him. She decided then to play hardball. Adler had to stay on the phone for as long as possible.

Jade said, "Here's the thing she isn't my friend anymore. Did she tell you that?"

The line went silent.

Jade chuckled, "Oh, she didn't tell you that? What a shame, right? Years of friendship down the tubes because she's selfish. I'm sure there is a moral in all of that. Something about greed being the cause of someone's demise. Perhaps that is a parable you should consider at length. You've come back to the one place on Earth where everyone wants you dead to snag a treasure when you already have more wealth than the law should allow."

Agent Cruz rushed into the kitchen and nodded for Jade to keep talking to him. She held up a piece of paper that asked _*what is your phone number?*_

Another agent entered the kitchen with a laptop in hand.

Adler chuckled, "Dear girl, there are some things that are more important than money. What is inside that U-Boat is a piece of history. I would never dream of selling it. I want to possess it."

Jade scribbled her number onto the piece of paper Lauren provided.

She responded to Adler, "The last group of people that wanted so badly to possess those ill gotten gains nearly went down with the ship. Most of them lost their lives and the rest died without ever seeing the treasure again. What makes you think you will have better luck? Perhaps it is cursed like the Hope Diamond."

"I'm of the belief that the Hope Diamond is not cursed. The unworthy individuals that have possessed it in the past were cursed. Someone who truly deserves the Hope Diamond would have no such problems. It is sort of like King Arthur extracting Excalibur from the stone."

She laughed, "Obsessive behavior, delusions of grandeur, narcissism. Perhaps it is not the treasure you need but psychiatric help. I'd be happy to recommend someone for you."

"As tantalizing as that offer is I think it is high time we get to the reason I called. I'm sure the FBI is scrambling to trace this call as we speak. I know that the FBI has the U-Boat. I want it and I'll release Alex Hunter alive."

Jade said, "Once again you are assuming that she's worth anything to me."

"Well, I might have overplayed my hand there but the FBI will still want to negotiate for her safe return. You have my terms and you can relay that to the FBI…including Neal. Goodbye."

After the called ended, Jade looked at Lauren and asked, "Were you able to trace the call?"

Lauren shook her head and sighed in remorse, "We got as close as Lower Manhattan. I have to call Director Hughes. He needs to know about this. On the positive side it looks like Adler has fallen for our trap."

Jade said, "The bad news is that Adler will probably kill my friend no matter how all of this turns out."


	15. Chapter 15

Neal stood aboard the deck of the 450 ft long Coast Guard Cutter as the sun began to set. He had hoped that they would have found the U-Boat by now but there was no such luck. Seas had been rough for most of the day but finally the waves turned into soft swells. At one point Neal felt very glad that he had spent two weeks aboard a small yacht some years ago. That experience definitely prepared him for the constant swaying he felt aboard the cutter.

He had an uneasy feeling about leaving the people he loved alone for such a long time. Vincent Adler was not a man to be underestimated. There were no guarantees that the location of the safe house was still a secret. He found himself wishing that Ernesto's contacts from Chicago would just find Adler and get rid of him.

Neal was exhausted from the tedious grid search. Each cleared section of ocean made him feel more despondent. Perhaps they would never find the U-Boat but that really wasn't an option. The top brass of the bureau were expecting a big win for the media and they needed the real thing to wave under Alder's nose.

The lure of the treasure would not be enough to make him stick his head out long enough for the bureau to apprehend him. Neal doubted that he would take the risk unless they could present tangible proof of the treasure's existence.

Peter walked over with a grim look on his face. The knot in Neal's stomach reappeared out of thin air. The agent rarely looked so serious unnecessarily.

"What's happened?" asked Neal.

"Neal, we just received a call on the satellite phone from Lauren. Adler contacted Jade with ransom demands. He has kidnapped Alex Hunter."

The conman felt like all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He knew that Adler was targeting Alex but he assumed she would be able to lay low until the heat died down. However, knowing Alex the way he did there was no way she would stop her search for the treasure just because her life was in danger.

"Is she okay? Has he hurt Alex?"

Neal knew just what kind of violence Adler was capable of after what happened to Mozzie.

Peter shook his head, "No, he sent a picture with today's paper. Alex is alive and well."

Neal lamented, "For now. I'm assuming he wants the treasure in exchange for Alex's safe return."

"He is giving the bureau a 48-hour deadline. He'll be calling back tomorrow at noon to set up the exchange."

"What are we going to do, Peter? Even if we had the treasure, which we don't, there is no way that the bureau would let us give it to Adler. Setting him up is out of the question. He's smart. That exchange site is going to be selected for the express purpose of ensuring we don't double-cross him or arrest him."

Peter wished that he could say something encouraging but Neal had been working with the bureau long enough to know standard operating procedure.

"Hughes is on the phone with the director now trying to figure out a strategy. We're going to get Alex back."

Neal laughed bitterly, "I don't think they are going to bend over backwards to rescue a thief. How is Jade? Do you know?"

Peter said, "He has a hostage and we are following the procedures by the book, Neal. Thief or not we aren't going to just let Adler kill Alex. No, I'm sorry Lauren didn't say anything about Jade or the girls. I do know that they are safe. You don't have to worry about them, Neal."

"I'll never stop worrying about them. I just keep thinking about what Jade said to me years ago. I was taking too many risks and making enemies along the way. It is fine to make enemies when you have nothing to lose. I have something to lose now. Jade, Isabella, Sofia, June, Mozzie, El, and Sara are so important to me. I don't want my past to…"

Just then, a petty officer ran over to the two men.

"Special Agent Burke, you and Mr. Caffrey are needed on the bridge ASAP."

Peter nodded and said, "Let's go, Neal. Maybe Hughes has news on Adler."

Neal and Peter followed the petty officer to the bridge.

Hughes strode over to the men with a triumphant look on his face.

"We are getting a strong signal from the antenna. I think we have found out U-Boat. We are going to send an unmanned submarine to get a good look at the wreck. We need to know what condition the vessel is in and if we can raise it from the seafloor."

Peter said, "Finally, we are having a stroke of luck. Perhaps things are finally swinging in our direction."

Hughes said, "Neal. I thought you'd be more excited about the discovery."

"We're only halfway there. There is still a chance that the U-Boat won't come out of water in one piece. There is an even bigger chance that it was damaged when it sank and the contents are ruined. I'll save my enthusiasm for now."

Hughes looked at Peter in confusion as they watched Neal leave the bridge.

Peter said, "He's worried about Alex and his family. What did Director Phillips have to say about Adler taking a hostage?"

"Predictably he said that he would get back to me after he consulted the higher ups."

The agent tried not to show his frustration but Neal was right to be concerned about Alex's fate. It was possible that they might not get her back alive. He worried that the guilt would tear Neal apart and perhaps even force him away from the bureau. Peter had worked too hard to bring Neal along to this point to watch all of that hard work be destroyed by Vincent Adler.

Neal had the chance to have a good life. He had a family, a job, and in a few years, he would have his freedom. In truth, Peter was not old enough to be Neal's father but he did have a paternal nature with the conman.

There was something in Neal's personality that made Peter want to protect him from all of the bad things in the world. Elizabeth suggested that it was Neal's boyish nature but it was something else. Peter couldn't help but think that in a different life Neal would have been a different man. Something set him on this course. He'd seen it before in dozens of criminals but Neal had true promise.

Peter asked, "Do you need me? I'm going to go find Neal…"

Hughes said, "No, I'm going to stay here to watch the monitors. I want to see the condition of the U-Boat for myself."

Peter nodded and left the bridge. He headed back onto the deck assuming that would be the place to find Neal. The younger man had spent the majority of the day in precisely the same spot.

Sure enough, he saw Neal looking over the side at the water below.

"Are you okay?"

Neal shook his head, "Nothing about this is okay."

"You know that all of this is only temporary, Neal. We're going to get the U-Boat and we'll save Alex. Things will go back to normal."

"What's normal? A month ago, I was dating Sara and we were working toward something serious. Now we have broken up. My ex-wife is back in my life with my two daughters. I want to be the father to them that I never had."

"You don't talk much about your father. Why?"

Neal looked at Peter for a moment and then shrugged, "There is not much to say about a man that I never had the chance to know. I mean I can tell you second hand stories about him that were relayed to me over the years but I don't have any personal memories. My father was a cop but he was a crooked one. He wasn't just crooked…he was a murderer. I didn't know that as a kid because no one told me. I was maybe three years old the last time I saw him. Everyone thought it was best if they let his memory just fade away and it did. Now I couldn't even tell you what he looked like. I don't want to end up a faded memory for my kids."

"Neal, that isn't going to happen, I've seen you with you daughters and you love them. You aren't going to leave them."

"My dad didn't leave by choice. Well, his choices led to his departure but he didn't just abandon me. He went to prison. I don't even know what to tell them about who I am. I am not Neal Caffrey, but I spent my whole life being someone else. When I had the opportunity, I decided to keep it going. I am not putting them first. I convinced Jade to move into June's house. I'm asking the girls to leave their home and their friends just because I can't travel to Connecticut to see them every day."

Peter searched for the right words.

"We all have doubts, Neal. When I first arranged for you to be released into my custody I was nervous."

"That I'd run?" asked Neal, he smirked.

"No, I was worried that you'd finish the terms of your agreement and you'd be the same guy I arrested. I worried that I couldn't help you change," Peter explained.

"You did, Peter. You have helped me change…more than you know. When I think of running, and trust me I have thought of it in the past, I never did because that would mean the end of our relationship. I would hate that."

Peter smiled, "I would hate that too, Neal. You're family now."

Neal laughed, "Jade said that you're like the father I never had."

The two men let that hang in the air. Neither knew how to address it but they both felt comfortable with it somehow.


	16. Chapter 16

It was around 10:00 when Jade looked up when she heard quiet footsteps approaching her. She smiled seeing that it was Elizabeth Burke with two steaming cups of coffee. For the last couple of hours she had sat in this spot quietly staring out of the window.

"I thought you might like a cup of coffee. I don't think we'll be doing very much sleeping tonight. Just a warning June made our coffee and I'm pretty sure she spiked both cups."

The younger woman's smile brightened and she eagerly took the cup from Elizabeth. She smelled the steaming liquid and picked up the telltale scent of brandy.

Jade said, "Thank you, Elizabeth. June is amazing. I am going to have to give her a thank you card and gift for how wonderful she has been since this all started. She reminds me very much of a grandmother, a normal grandmother."

Elizabeth had a seat on the opposite side of the window seat and took a small sip of her coffee.

Elizabeth commented, "I think that is while Neal enjoys her company so much. She has that maternal nature that he needs. I think he has stuck around for June and Peter."

"Well, he's always needed that. He needs maternal and paternal figures in his life. His mother was not very maternal. I understand that plight all too well. My mother was not very maternal either. However, she was an excellent grifter. I learned everything I know from the maternal side of my family."

Jade took another grateful sip from her cup of coffee. She closed her eyes feeling the Brandy warming her from the inside out. She hoped that it would also settle her nerves. Jade was worried for Neal and Alex. She had no clue how this situation would pan out.

Elizabeth said, "I can't imagine growing up in that world and trying to assimilate into a normal one. My life has changed so much since Peter became Neal's handler. I have met so many interesting people. I've even dabbled in a little danger. It is addictive but not something I could do day in and day out."

Jade chuckled, "I've accomplished it with varying degrees of success. Honestly, I had it easier than my mother and aunts. They grew up helping their mother swindle and cheat people. They moved around at a moment's notice. I had more stability in my life. Their lives were an improvement on my grandmother's upbringing. She grew up in the circus. Her mother was a psychic and her father was the ringmaster of the travelling circus. They pulled jobs in every city they visited."

Elizabeth chuckled and said, "That makes my childhood seem incredibly boring."

"Maybe so but I've learned that boring is safer and there are fewer consequences. I try to be normal but I miss the thrill. I am glad to see that Neal doesn't suffer from the same malaise. It is hard having a talent that has no legal purpose."

Elizabeth asked, "Like what? I won't say anything to Peter."

Jade said, "Neal isn't the only one in the family capable of painting and sculpting masterpieces. If you name a famous work and give me enough time, I would probably be able to make you a passable forgery. I was never good enough to create original works of art but…"

"Have you ever given it a try? I've only seen some of Neal's work but if you are half as good him you could be a legitimate artist."

"I've tried and failed. It is hard being creative. Forging a painting is less about art for me and more about the science of it all. Neal would probably be the better artist. He is amazing. I am a better musician than I am an artist. I play the piano, the cello, and the bass guitar."

Elizabeth laughed, "The bass guitar? That is a definite departure from the more classical instruments."

"My father was a bass player in a band. He taught me the basic strings before he ran out on my family. I was too stubborn to quit so I just kept plugging along on my own. Whenever he popped back into my life he would teach me a little more. It is really the only thing we have in common. The rest of the instruments I learned from the women in my family. They were all tools in their kits for grifting. You'd be surprised how many affluent men you can attract when you can play classical music."

"I would love to hear you play some time, Jade. How are you holding up?"

She shrugged, "I am worried about Alex. I don't want anything to happen to her. We aren't friends anymore but for a time she was closer than family to me. She was one of the few connections to Neal that I maintained after the divorce. We found a way to be friends and not discuss Neal and it was refreshing. It was so hard moving to Rome and cutting ties with everyone else."

Elizabeth said, "Peter is not going to let anything happen to Alex. My husband is like a dog with a bone. If he says he is going to do something then we will do it."

"That's what Neal says about Peter. I believe him. Neal doesn't often sing the praises of law enforcement. I just feel helpless and it is a terrible feeling. I want to be able to do something to help my friend and I can't. Worse yet I was so harsh with her the last time we spoke."

"You were angry and worried about your children's safety. I am sure that Alex would understand that."

Jade said, "I know she understands it but you don't want something heinous to be the last thing you said to someone you think of as a friend. It is sort of a personality flaw of mine. I'm not a very forgiving person. I left a man that I have adored since kindergarten because I felt betrayed and I stayed gone for a long time."

Agent Cruz walked into the room and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt but I just thought the two of you would like to know that they found the U-Boat and are working on a way to bring it out of the water."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up and she clapped a hand over her chest, "That is the kind of good news we've needed all day. What about Alex?"

Jade asked, "Have they said anything about getting Alex back?"

Lauren's eyes saddened but she quickly regained her composure, "Not as of yet but they are trying to put together a tactical plan."

She nodded, "Thanks…"

Elizabeth sighed and said, "Peter wouldn't let Neal down, Jade. They will find a way to get Alex back even if it is off book. My husband does not break promises."

Jade said, "I believe you that Peter will try but I'm not so sure about the FBI."

* * *

Neal and Peter stood on the deck of the 450 ft long Coast Guard Cutter in the middle of the night. The unmanned submarine went down first to investigate the sunken U-Boat. After positive identification, diving teams were sent into the water to determine the wreckage's stability. There were concerns from the video that it might be too damaged to raise out of the water.

After hours of inspection, they determined it was safe to try a slow extraction. However, it was then they realized it was rigged with explosive charges. There was a chance that the corrosion over the years had rendered the wiring useless but no one was willing to take that chance. They sent a explosives expert down to disarm the bomb. By the time, the U-Boat was ready to be moved it was already 2:30 AM, but there was no stopping until it was done. Neal was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Any number of things could go wrong at this point in the operation.

Peter stood at Neal's side knowing that he needed the support. This was about more than just the treasure. The conclusion of this case was the key to his family and Alex's safety. Peter was in the same boat, pun intended. He still had nightmares about what could have happened to Elizabeth and June's house.

"You and Mozzie are the only reason we found this U-Boat, Neal. We were literally playing needle in a haystack. We would have never found this without the antenna."

Neal said, "The Atlantic ocean is vast. Did you know it covers 20% of the Earth's surface? A man could get lost and never heard from again on these waters. Have you ever been sailing, Peter? There is nothing better than being alone on the ocean not knowing where the wind and water will take you."

"No, I can't say that I have. Sailing isn't really one of my favorite pastimes."

"I once spent three weeks at sea and it was the best three weeks of my life. I was at Mother Nature's mercy and it was beautiful. I thought to myself that I might never go back. I could just sail around the world and stop every once in awhile for supplies."

Peter said, "The solitude sounds peaceful. I wouldn't take you as someone that liked peace and quiet. You're always flash and light."

"I enjoy time to myself when I need think. That solitude is what quiets everything in my mind."

"What made you come back?"

Neal asked, "What?"

"You said that you considered sailing around the world. What made you change your mind?" asked Peter.

He smiled, "Sofia's footprint. I casted it in plaster and would take it everywhere with me. One day I was on the boat and I missed that little foot and the body it was attached to at home. I wondered if my little girl would even recognize me. She was so young when I went off on my excursion. I didn't know if an infant could go weeks without seeing you and still remember you. When I went home Jade was still there and she never mentioned the fact that I was gone so long and she never asked where I went. It was after I found out the truth about my father. I needed that solitude to understand it all. Still don't think that I really understand."

Hughes marched over to the two men and said, "The U-Boat is about to break the surface. Once we lower it on deck we should be able to open it."

Neal smiled slightly, "The moment of truth."

They watched as the battered wreckage was pulled from the water and craned onto the deck of the ship.

Neal was surprised that it held up so well over the years. Obviously, it sustained serious damage when it first sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Peter said, "Let's go see if the contents are worth all the trouble Vincent Adler has caused."

The two men approached the U-Boat as it was being opened.

Neal gasped seeing the content up close for the first time. He recognized a few famous paintings immediately. "These were thought to be lost during the war. This is the most significant discovery of pre-war artifacts in decades…perhaps ever."

Peter asked, "How valuable is all of this?"

"I don't know. It depends on the quality but if the rest are like the first few paintings I've seen… then I would estimate several hundred million dollars."

Peter's eyes widened and then he walked over to join Hughes. Now that they had the treasure, it was time to talk about strategy. They needed to lure Adler in with the treasure and rescue Alex Hunter at the same time.

Hughes satellite phone started to ring and he said, "I need to answer this, Peter. It might be Director Phillips."

He answered the phone and said, "Good evening, Director. I have great news to share. Oh. How did that happen? When did that happen? Any indication on location? Yes, sir. I'll keep you updated on everything. We managed to pull the U-Boat out of the water and we'll be headed back to shore soon. Goodbye."

Peter asked, "What happened?"

"Vincent Adler's safehouse wasn't so safe. He was nearly killed in an armed assault tonight but he managed to escape. The majority of his team was killed, but Ms. Hunter was left unscathed. Was this Neal?"

Peter said, "He's been with us and he doesn't have access to the satellite phone. He didn't do this."

However, Peter began to think he might have an idea of the guilty party.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Neal walked into the attic and quietly closed the door behind him. The sun was just beginning to rise and he could feel the cloud of exhaustion settling over him. He looked at the sofa bed and saw Jade curled up on his side of the bed. Her arm was wrapped around his pillow and her nose was firmly planted against the fabric. He smiled and resisted the urge just to crawl into bed with Jade without a shower. The stench of the Coast Guard Cutter hung on his clothes and he didn't want to fall asleep with that scent in his nose. However, he was definitely looking forward to wrapping his arms around Jade and falling asleep.

She always managed to comfort Neal and put him in a better headspace. Ellen once called Jade his true North. He believed there to be some truth in that because he had been directionless after losing Jade. He took risks that he shouldn't have and made mistakes he never would have with her grounding presence. It was never that Jade didn't want him to be a thief or a con artist she just wanted them to be secondary to the roles that should have meant the most to him, father and husband. At the end of the day, Neal realized it was his youth that sent him in the opposite direction of his family. He married Jade at such a young age that he began to erroneously think that he'd missed out on some great adventure life had to offer.

He walked over to the bedroom and peered into the room. Sofia and Isabella were in a deep sleep. He smiled feeling grateful that this was the family he has to come home to every night. Despite his mistakes, he was being given a second chance to be the father he knew that he could be.

He spotted Isabella's stuffed bunny lying on the floor. Neal picked it up and tucked it under her arm before exiting the room. He collected a fresh pair of pajamas and his toiletry bag to take into the bathroom.

The previous night had been tense and emotional for him. It culminated with the ultimate slap in the face when Hughes sent Neal back to the safe house to keep him away from the treasure while it was being inventoried. The move was artless and unnecessary. Suddenly, he was expendable after doing something they couldn't have dreamed of doing on their own. If it weren't for Neal and Mozzie's hard work that U-Boat would still be at the bottom of the ocean. Moreover, it was because of Neal that Hughes was on the verge of making the biggest arrest of his lackluster career. Arresting Vincent Adler was sure to move him up in the ranks. There were already rumors of Hughes being named section chief if he could pull this off.

Peter had been quiet after hearing Hughes give the order. He had given the con artist a plaintive smile as Jones prepared to drive him back to the safe house.

Neal wasn't upset with Peter. He knew the man had no control over the decision to send him back to the safe house. On the ride back, Neal was silent despite Special Agent Clinton Jones' best attempts to engage him in conversation. It made him think about what Jade had said in anger just days ago. The words had been sharp and hurtful but she was right about him just being a confidential informant.

One day all of this would be over and the bureau would cast him aside like every other informant despite the slew of cases the White Collar Division solved in large part because of Neal's skills and expertise. For the first time since all of this began, Neal started to think about what his life would be like after his days working with the FBI were over. He reminded himself that it was a question Mozzie posed sometime earlier and he had disregarded it as paranoia.

At one point in time, he might have considered going back to a life of crime. Despite Peter's self-congratulatory boasts, he only captured Neal because he allowed himself to be captured. The first time he knowingly walked into a trap in order to see Kate. The second time Neal was sitting in Kate's abandoned loft waiting for Peter. He was too devastated by the loss to run. Neal could disappear into the ether if that was what he really wanted. However, he had a family now and he couldn't imagine dragging Jade and their daughters from country to country as he evaded Peter, the FBI, Interpol, and the other bevy of international law enforcement branches he brushed up against in his exploits.

Neal didn't have any answers by the end of his car ride but he did know one thing. He needed a plan for a future that would not include the FBI or Peter Burke. It was an unsettling feeling.

He went into the bathroom and took a much-needed hot shower. His only desire now was to climb into his bed and snag a few hours of sleep. He could think about the future later. He stood under the showerhead and allowed the steaming hot water to wash over his fatigued frame. He needed to talk to Jade about her part in Alex's miraculous rescue. Peter wasn't the only one that had suspicions.

Jade didn't really trust law enforcement. She certainly wasn't going to trust them with the life of a close friend. If she really thought Adler was going to kill Alex, Neal had no doubt that she would break the promise she made to him. He couldn't say that he would blame her under the circumstances. Adler moved the goalposts the moment he took Alex hostage. Seeing Mozzie in a hospital bed clinging to life had removed all his chivalrous ideals about always being nonviolent. Sometimes violence was warranted when trickery and finesse couldn't do the job. He wouldn't commit the crime himself as he was nonviolent but he wasn't going to shed any tears if someone else did.

He leaned his forehead against the cool tiled shower surround and tried to clear his mind of everything. He heard the glass door to the shower open and turned around to see Jade standing outside.

She toyed with the sash on her robe. She asked, "Can I join you?"

Neal raised an eyebrow at the surprising proposition. Briefly, he considered turning her down because it was a huge step in their relationship. They had more to worry about than their libidos, but that idea quickly left his head when Jade dropped her robe onto the floor.

He stared as Jade stood there with a coy smile in all her glory. Her chocolate brown hair hung in soft curly waves over her shoulders.

He nodded and swallowed thickly. "Sure…"

Jade slipped into the shower and closed the door.

Neal kissed her. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was asleep but I heard the shower running and I figured that you were here. You look exhausted. Maybe I should have let you shower on your own. I can leave you to it," said Jade, she turned to leave.

He chuckled and caught her arm. "In what universe does Neal Caffrey let a beautiful woman walk out of his shower untouched? Come here."

She laughed softly and looked into his eyes. "I was worried about you all night. I know that is crazy considering you were probably safer with the Coast Guard than we were here but I just wanted you to come back safe."

Neal saw the sincerity in her dark eyes and gently caressed her back. "I'm home and now we are that much closer to putting Vincent Adler in prison for the rest of his life."

Jade said, "I didn't come in here to talk about Vincent Adler. Right now I just want you."

He smiled, "Then we'll pretend like we're the only people in the world even if it is just for now."

She smiled, "I can agree to that."

* * *

Neal woke with a start from a deep sleep when he heard a heavy knock on the attic door. He looked beside him and saw that Jade was gone. Neal sat up in the bed and grabbed his phone to check the time. It was no surprise that Jade was gone. It was now 2:00 in the afternoon. Sofia and Isabella would have woken up hours ago as well.

He said, "Come in."

Peter walked into the room and said, "I'm sorry to wake you up. I know that you had a long night. I tried to let you sleep for as long as humanly possible."

The FBI agent looked a little worse for wear. He had even less time to sleep than Neal. He didn't return to the safe house until 10:00 that morning. The inventory wasn't finished but Special Agent Hughes let him leave and delegated the tedious work to lower ranking agents.

Neal said, "I didn't intend to sleep that long. How did the inventory go?"

Peter said, "Everything was moving along before I left to get some rest. Hughes is still there overseeing everything. About last night Neal, I am sorry that Hughes sent you back here but there are many eyes on this case. The higher ups were worried about having a career criminal in close proximity to the biggest art discovery in decades. They were worried you might be tempted."

If he was strictly honest he had some concerns about Neal being so close to so much temptation.

Neal said, "It is fine, Peter. I know that it wasn't your call. It is probably better I am not too closely involved. If anything happens, no one can put the blame on me. Have you all decided how to set the trap for Adler?"

"There is a plan in place. We'll want you to try to make contact with him. It will not be easy considering there was an attempt of his life last night. He left Alex Hunter behind in the process so he doesn't have any leverage other than threatening your family."

Neal stood up and pulled on his t-shirt. He asked, "I thought I wasn't allowed to be around the treasure?"

"Well, we want to schedule the meeting in a warehouse where we will be able monitor everything that happens."

Neal chuckled joylessly and said, "I should get dressed. I'll see you downstairs, Peter."

Peter asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine."

Peter nodded slightly and then left the attic. He went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and smiled seeing Elizabeth cooking lunch. The smell of food made him realize that he was starving.

Elizabeth turned around hearing footsteps. "Hi, honey. You look so tired. Sit down. You need to eat something."

He chuckled at how well his wife knew him. She knew everything without him even needing to say anything. He sat down at the island. "I missed you last night."

Elizabeth poured Peter a cup of coffee and set it in front of him. "I missed you, too. I gave up on waiting up for you around 4AM."

"I would have called but things sort of spiraled out of control once we found the U-Boat. "

He took a sip of the hot coffee and hoped the caffeine would give him a much needed boost because right now he was running on fumes.

"I understand, Peter. I am just ready for this all to be done. I don't like the toll it is taking on you and as much as I like everyone here I'd like to get back home."

He nodded. "I know and we are working as fast as we can. We are going to have Neal make contact with Adler today to set up a meet time."

"Here's hoping that he takes the bait and that this all runs smoothly."

"I hope so."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as she studied his sullen face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired…"

She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Peter Burke, you are not a very good liar. What's going on?"

"Hughes sent Neal home this morning. He didn't want him present while we were inventorying the haul from the U-Boat. Neal said that he is okay but I think it really rubbed him the wrong way."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Can you blame him? It was a slap in the face. He and Mozzie did most of the work to find it."

Peter said, "I know but Hughes is trying to save face with the bureau. He's up for a promotion and he just wants to make sure nothing goes wrong. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. It looks like I am up for a promotion as well. If Hughes is promoted to section chief I'm the top option to replace him as ASAC."

"That's great honey but you don't look very excited about it."

"Well, the promotion would be a great thing for me but that would mean handing Neal off to another agent. As ASAC I won't be working individual cases anymore so I'll have no need for a CI."

Elizabeth stopped cutting up the ingredients for the salad and stared at Peter in disbelief. It made perfect sense but that reality had not occurred to Elizabeth until he said it.

She asked, "Does Neal know?"

"No, I haven't told him. I don't know how to tell him. I may not need to tell him. The ASAC job isn't certain. I could get passed over or Hughes may not get the section chief position. Everything is still up in the air. If someone else gets chosen to be ASAC they may decide to not even keep Neal as a CI."

Elizabeth said, "Honey, you have to say something to Neal even if everything is uncertain. He should have the opportunity to prepare himself. He likes working with you. I think a change like this will be hard for him to process. He needs time."

He shook his head. "I'm worried that he'll make the wrong decision, El. His life has changed rapidly in the last two weeks. I don't think he's ready for another major change. Neal can be unpredictable. I know it bothered him that Hughes sent him away but let's be honest that is a lot of temptation for Neal. It was probably for the best."

Neal backed away from the kitchen doorway without having been seen by the couple. He felt his head swimming and he walked out the side door to the backyard. He needed fresh air and some space to clear his head.

Mozzie heard the door close and he looked up seeing Neal. "What's wrong, Neal?"

The younger man deadpanned, "Everything…"

Mozzie closed his book and placed it on the table and gave Neal is full attention. "Pull up a chair and let's talk."

Neal ambled over to the chair and sat down. The exasperated look on his face said everything and yet nothing at all. He gripped the wrought iron arms of the chair as he tried to maneuver all the pieces in his mind.

The balding conman removed his glasses and cleaned the lenses while Neal tried to work out what he wanted to say.

"Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? About just desserts?"

Mozzie sat up straighter in his wheelchair and his eyes widened. "Of course. Are you saying that you've changed your mind?"

Neal swallowed thickly and said, "Yes, I've changed my mind. Why should all of our hard work go unrewarded?"

"Why indeed? Neal, you know I'm 100% on board but I have to ask if you are sure about this for yourself and your family."

"This is for my family. The future is uncertain and it would be nice to have a little nest egg for a rainy day."

Mozzie was a little concerned about the sudden shift but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had a plan for liberating some of the U-Boat treasure for their futures. He didn't want everything. Just enough to live like kings. He thought it was a fair compensation for all of their hard work.


	18. Chapter 18

Jade knocked on Mozzie's bedroom door and waited for him to grant her access. She knew the bespeckled man kept his door locked for fear of the 'suits' invading what little privacy there was to be had in the safe house. She was confused by the strange summons she received from him via June but it definitely piqued her interest.

Mozzie opened the door and then wheeled his wheelchair backwards to allow Jade into the room. "Please come into my temporary humble abode. Tea?"

Jade walked into the room and chuckled seeing he had an electric teapot in his room. She should have expected nothing less from him. She said, "Sure. I never say no to a cup of tea."

Mozzie maneuvered the motorized wheelchair over to the dresser and turned on the teapot. He said, "We can talk while our tea brews."

"Okay. What's going on, Mozzie? June was very vague when she told me that you wanted to talk. Is everything okay with Neal?"

"Hold that thought please." He picked up a laptop and hit a button. Suddenly white noise burst forth from the speakers in an attempt to muffle their voices.

Jade crossed her legs and felt her apprehension level increase ever so slightly. She didn't have a good feeling about this meeting at all.

Mozzie said, "Neal has begun to reassess the bureau's compensation for his services. As such I have decided to liberate some of that delicious treasure from the bureau."

Her eyes widened and she sat forward in the chair and asked, "How does he intend to do that? They have it under lock and key now. I don't want him to do anything that is going to land him back in federal prison, Mozzie."

"Well, that is the simple part of the plan. In order to entice Adler out of hiding they are leaving the contents of the U-Boat in a storage facility rented by the bureau in the warehouse district. Adler will most likely send a representative in to verify the authenticity of the haul before he'll willing show his face. My theory is that we stage a distraction and make off with some of the inventory. The bureau will assume that it was Adler."

Jade said, "It isn't a horrible idea but there is still a lot of risk and Neal will be with Peter when all of this is happening. He won't be able to do any of the work."

He smiled and poured both of them a cup of tea. "That is where you come in. You are one of the better thieves that I know and I know a lot. You are great at planning a heist. The suits were moving us back to the city ahead of this operation. The bigwigs in D.C. don't think Adler is a threat to our safety now that his muscle has been decimated and he's injured."

"Either they are stupid or there is another plan in the works. He has the money to pay a couple hundred no-neck goons to be his muscle. They are moving us back into the open in hopes that we will draw him out if the ruse with the treasure doesn't work. I don't like being bait. How are we going to make this work? I won't be able to pull this off on my own."

Mozzie said, "You won't have to do this on your own. I'm going to help you."

Jade tilted her head to the side and looked at his wheelchair.

He chuckled and stood up with little difficulty.

"I thought…"

"I got better."

She shook her head. "Does Neal know about this?"

"No. I haven't had the opportunity to tell him but the bureau isn't likely to suspect a wheelchair bound person. I can do the heist myself but I'll need you to be the getaway driver."

Jade said, "I'll need to know the exact location of the warehouse if I'm going to be able to pull off a successful getaway. We're going to need something with the darkest tinted windows possible. We can't accidentally get caught on a camera as we're flying through the city. We need space to store everything and we're going to need a very big distraction. Actually, I think I know how to make that happen."

"What do you have in mind?"

She asked, "How are you with C-4?"

Mozzie said, "I've been known to dabble in plastique in the past."

"We could always break into a few units prior to the meetings and rig them to blow with remote detonation. We will do directional blasts to make sure the force is focused inward. We don't want any collateral damage. Three or four units ablaze should draw the agents running in that direction."

Mozzie lifted his cup of tea in a mock toast. "Jade, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Now we just have to convince Neal that you should be involved."

Jade asked, "Does Neal not want me involved?"

"Uh, he doesn't want you in the line of fire if this all goes horribly wrong but it won't."

Neal's displeasure with the idea gave her some pause. She didn't want them to make the same mistakes the second time around. Sometimes if your other half is completely against an idea, it might be worth considering. Neal didn't listen to her with Adler and that was the reason they were even in this situation.

"I need to talk to Neal first, Mozzie. I have to at least hear him out and if he doesn't want me involved then maybe I shouldn't be. We're just getting back together. I don't want to throw a wrench into the works by being stubborn."

Mozzie sighed, "We don't have very much time to plan, Jade. The risk of wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision."

Jade countered, "It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure the pain of patience. I promise that I will talk to Neal tonight and hear his side of things. Although, I have an inkling of why he is resisting. Thank you for the tea, Mozzie."

She kissed his cheek and left the bedroom with a lot on her mind. She was so distracted that she nearly ran into Neal. Jade gasped in surprise. "I didn't realize that you were back. How did it go?"

He nodded, "I am. The meeting with Alex went well. She had a lot of useful information on the places Adler took her while she was his hostage. Peter and Hughes want to prepare for every eventuality. Adler may decide he doesn't want to walk into a very obvious trap. How are you doing?"

"I'm great, Neal. I just had an interesting conversation with Mozzie."

Neal's features tensed. "Jade, I had every intention of talking to you about all of this first. I went to Mozzie because he was the first person I saw after making the decision."

"I'm not upset for that reason. Perhaps we should have this conversation somewhere a little more private."

Neal raised an eyebrow but turned and led the way up to the attic space where they were staying.

Jade took his hand and said, "Mozzie told me what you're considering and he wants me behind the wheel. He said you don't want me involved. Why not?"

He sighed and paced the floor. "I told him to leave you out of this."

"But why? This is my family and my future, too. I should get say in how all of this goes down."

Neal stopped in front of Jade and took her into his arms. He stared into her eyes for a moment as he struggled to find the words. "I won't be involved because I will be with Peter. I have an alibi. You won't have an alibi. That works out one of two ways if the bureau starts to suspect you or worse- catches you in the act. You are either going to end up in prison or on the run. You are the only constant our daughters have in their lives and I'm not willing to sacrifice that-I'm not willing to sacrifice you for a payday."

"Then why do this at all, Neal. What's going on with you? Mozzie said you brought this to him, not the other way around."

He sighed. "I was angry and frustrated. I made a snap decision born out of resentment. I started thinking about my future. The bureau only values me right now. In the future, I don't know what I will do to support us. I have stashes hidden here and there that I could liquidate but it isn't enough for a future."

"Neal, I have a career. I can support our family until you get your feet under you. You are the smartest and most talented man that I know. There is nothing you can't do if you chose to. You will find a career. A legal one that will allow you to focus on staying out of handcuffs."

"What is that? Which one of my skills is going to be coveted by corporate American once they get a load of my felony conviction?"

Jade said, "You could be hired as a consultant for an insurance agency. Surely your case closure rate with the FBI will give your claims some merit."

"Peter gets all of the credit for the closed investigations. He's the agent and I'm just the CI."

Jade sighed. She saw his point and he was right. This was what she was afraid of with Neal putting his life on the line for the bureau. He would be walking away from this situation with nothing. However, she hated the anguish this was causing him. She never meant to throw cold water on a situation he liked.

"The other night I was just spouting off because I was scared. I didn't mean…"

Neal kissed Jade to silence her. Afterward he smiled. "You did mean it. It was brutal but not untrue. In any case it isn't what put me in this mood."

"Then what did?"

"Peter might get a promotion from this case if everything goes to plan. I won't be is CI anymore. I may not be anyone's CI if no one wants to take me on. Peter went to bat for me to have this deal. What if it all goes away?"

Jade asked, "Have you asked Peter about this?"

Neal said, "No, he didn't tell me. I overheard him telling Elizabeth in the kitchen this afternoon. If I go to him then he knows that I was eavesdropping."

"I don't care if he knows that you were eavesdropping. You deserve more than having this sprung on you. You deserve better."

"It just drove home the point that I am just a criminal playing their game and when they no longer need me to play their game-I don't know where that leaves me."

Jade said, "You always have me, Neal. And I am always on your side. What do you want to do?"

He said, "That's the thing. I do not know. This afternoon with Mozzie was a reaction. I was angry and I just reacted. I have had time to think about it and now I'm not so sure. The items from the U-Boat have been inventoried. We would never be able to sell them without attracting unwanted attention. That means we would have to disappear from the United States. We could never come back here. I would have to leave behind the relationships I have formed with June, Elizabeth, and Peter. You and the girls would have to walk away from your lives here. I don't know if it is worth it. I just need time but I don't have that luxury. There is a very narrow window for this to happen."

"Then we plan the heist. You'll have until the day of the operation to change your mind."

Neal asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course."


	19. Chapter 19

Neal stood shirtless in the middle of his bedroom and stared at the canvas in front of him. He had a glass of wine in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. He was in the middle of painting an original piece, which was unusual for him. Neal was always much more comfortable creating forgeries or replicas. The real money was in forgeries. The market for art could be incredibly hostile. Artists and styles went in and out of popularity too quickly for it to be lucrative for most people. Over the years, Neal created a few original pieces of art but never felt they were good enough to be anything more than relaxation exercises.

More than ever, he needed to relax and think clearly. They were back at June Ellington's house. The bureau said it was because the threat had passed and only cursory surveillance from agents was necessary to ensure their safety. However, Jade and Neal understood they were bait. They were unwilling bait to draw Adler out of hiding.

The operation was moving along at a brisk pace. The bureau was anxious to apprehend Adler and put this particularly embarrassing chapter behind them. There were many members of law enforcement with egg on their face because Adler managed to evade capture for so long. This could be a redeeming moment for so many.

However, Neal was more concerned about what his life would look like once the case was over. He had no way of knowing what wheels would be set in motion in the huge bureaucratic machine that was the FBI. He was mentally assailing himself for not thinking into the future when he initially made this deal with the FBI. He had made a classic negotiation mistake.

Neal had been so eager to get out of his bleak circumstances that he didn't factor in the ways it could all fall apart. Well, that wasn't strictly true. Neal knew that at any moment, he could disappear without a trace and Peter would never be able to find him again. He was good at dropping off the radar. It was a skill every conman needed because invariably after each job you had one or several people incredibly angry with you. Some people just called the authorities. However, Neal had conned a few people that were more likely to kill him than incarcerate him.

He could easily cut his ankle monitor and disappear. However, there was more at stake now than there ever was. Neal had a family. He had friends. There was a life he enjoyed living in New York. He wasn't sure if he could throw it all away.

What sort of life could his family have while they were on the run? He didn't want that for Sofia and Isabella. They deserved more. He owed them more.

Jade rolled over to snuggle into Neal's warm embrace but quickly realized she was alone. She opened her eyes and saw the soft glow of low lighting from the dining area.

She sat up in the bed and watched as he stared at the canvas. She smiled warmly as she realized she was the subject of his painting.

"I don't remember posing for that painting," Jade joked.

The sudden shattered silence snapped Neal to attention. He spun around and looked at Jade. A guilty expression settled onto his stoic features. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Jade walked over to Neal and stole his glass of wine. She took a sip and said, "Oh, very nice. I do love a good Pinot Noir. For the record, you didn't wake me up. Do you want to talk about what's keeping you awake?"

He said, "It's nothing new. I want to make the right decision but I don't know what that is anymore. I feel conflicted in a way that I normally don't feel."

Jade walked into the kitchenette and pulled a wine glass from the cabinet. "Well, I think you should explore all the reasons you feel conflicted. I believe that you have found yourself in a moral quandary or sorts."

Neal sighed a little. He had stubble growing in because he had not bothered to shave in a few days. It was definitely out of character for him. He watched Jade pour a glass of wine and then sit at the dining table expectantly. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"I want you to say the thing that you have been avoiding every time we have this conversation. You forget, Neal, I know you. I don't know parts of you. I don't know versions of you. I know who you are completely. You can't solve an equation if you are leaving out vital variables."

Neal took a sip from his glass of wine and then had a seat at the table with Jade. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "We could run. Mozzie, the girls, you, and me could start over somewhere and have a good life. Some perfect little island country with no extradition treaty and favorable weather year round. We could raise our daughters and be able to devote all our time and energy to them."

"They deserve nothing less."

He nodded. "Exactly but I can't help thinking about what I would be leaving behind. For the most part, I like the life I have here. I care about Peter and Elizabeth. I love June. If I leave, I am not just leaving New York or the FBI. I'm leaving people that mean something to me. It is crazy because you and the girls are all that should matter."

Jade sighed. "Now you're just being ridiculous. You care about these people. They have become your family. It would be unusual and disconcerting if you were able to walk away from them without any doubts."

"Staying here isn't an option. If Peter takes that job I don't know what the future holds for me. I could get turned over to an agent I don't want to work with. I could get reassigned to another field office. I could sent back to prison."

She scoffed. "I doubt that they are going to send you back to prison. You are a useful tool, Neal. You don't throw away a tool simply because someone else put it down. They will most likely give you another handler. However, you are right in thinking that you have no idea what your circumstances will look like when this all goes down. You might be relocated to another city. It is also possible that your movements will be more restricted. It would only be for a couple more years and then your obligations to the bureau would be done. If we run, we can never come back, Neal. I would be okay with that. I have you and our daughters but I think it wouldn't be so easy for you."

Neal said, "If I am under their thumb then they call the shots. What if they say I can't live here anymore? They could limit the amount of time I'm able to spend with you and the girls. You know the highhanded techniques they can employ to twist you to their purposes."

"We are running out of time to make a decision. I will follow your lead but you have to make a decision, Neal. Can I make a suggestion?"

He gave a wry laugh and said, "What if I said no? Would you keep your suggestion to yourself?"

She laughed. "Not on your life."

Neal swirled the wine in his glass and watched the light filter through the liquid. He nodded. "Go ahead."

"I think you need to be proactive. If you really don't want to go on the run but you're worried about your future…maybe it is time you try to strike another deal with the bureau. Overall, I think you need to talk to Peter."

He sighed. "There isn't much that Peter can do."

She said, "That may be true but if he's the reason you're staying then you should at least talk to him, Neal. He might be able to pull a string or two. You said it yourself…this case is a big deal for him too. There may be a favor or two he can call in when the time comes." Jade stood up and walked over to Neal. She sat on his lap and cradled his scruffy face in her hands. "No matter what happens I will be here, Neal. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care how your situation changes…your family will follow you."

Neal closed his eyes and rubbed her back. "Yeah? Even if I have to serve the rest of my sentence behind bars?"

Jade kissed him and said, "I will be there every Saturday morning to visit you, Neal. I'll even wear something skimpy to give you something nice to look at during the visit."

He chuckled and tried to relax. "I'll do it. I'll talk to Peter."

"I'm glad to hear it. In the meantime, we should be practical and hire a lawyer."

Neal said, "I don't have the money to…"

Jade cut off the rest of his statement with a kiss. "I'll take care of paying for the lawyer. No arguments from you."


	20. Chapter 20

Neal stood outside Peter and Elizabeth's house and considered turning around. It was late. Well, late was an understatement. It was 4:30 in the morning and no sane person that didn't work the graveyard shift was awake voluntarily. Even the clubbers were on their way home at this point.

However, Neal was having trouble sleeping. His brain was always mulling over his options and he knew it wasn't fair to keep Jade up. This wasn't her problem, it was his. Neal would have to figure out what to do on his own.

He wanted to stay but that wasn't really the best decision for his family. Neal didn't know what sort of relationship he'd be allowed to have with Jade and his daughters if he was assigned a new handler. His legal name wasn't listed on their birth certificates and he wasn't married to Jade anymore. It would be up to the agent to set the parameters for his contact with civilians. His new handler would decide what his living accommodations would be going forward. His only recourse, if he found the conditions unsatisfactory, would be to go back to prison to serve the rest of his time. In the deal be originally struck with the bureau he wouldn't even get credit for time served.

Going back to prison wasn't as simple as just serving his time. The bureau could be vindictive and send him to a maximum-security prison in the middle of nowhere. Serving time in a prison out of state would almost certainly mean he would never see Jade or the girls. Moreover, if he were in a maximum-security facility he wouldn't want his daughters to visit him anyway.

The logistics of going back to prison wasn't the only reason why it was so unfavorable. If the warden was so inclined Neal could be dinged for every little infraction for the duration of his sentence. He had seen inmates on the wrong side of the warden rack up several additional years for petty behavior infractions. Neal could end up lingering in prison like some sort of purgatory. That was not an option. He wasn't missing one more second of his daughters' lives.

He considered marrying Jade again and adding his name to the girls' birth certificates to cement his position in their lives. The bureau would be hard pressed to deny him access to them if there was a paper trail. However, Adler was proof positive that Neal had enemies in the world and he didn't think alerting them to Sofia and Isabella's existence was in their best interest. He also didn't think marrying Jade would be a good idea. He loved her more than he could express but they had already married once out of necessity. He would not do that to her again. When he made Jade his wife for the second time it would because he loved her and couldn't imagine his life without her.

Neal took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited patiently but wasn't altogether confident that someone was going to answer. He glanced at his watch and then knocked on the door one last time for good measure. If Peter didn't answer he would just come back tomorrow. Tomorrow would be better.

He wouldn't exactly classify it as losing his nerve but he was certain Jade would if he told her.

Peter opened the door after peering out to see that it was Neal. He looked shocked as he eyed the younger man's appearance. "Neal? Is something wrong?"

Neal noted almost immediately that Peter looked as if he was awake. He cleared his throat. "Sorry to wake you up, Peter. I just need to talk to you. It probably could have waited until daybreak but… there never seems to be time in the day where we can talk alone. This isn't really a conversation to want anyone to overhear. "

Peter looked more than a little concerned. He nodded and stepped out of the way, inviting Neal into the house. "Would like a cup of coffee?"

"No, thank you. I'm wide awake as it is."

He nodded. "What's on your mind?"

Neal walked into the house and closed the door behind him. He took off his signature fedora and followed Peter into the living room. "My future."

He raised an eyebrow at Neal's simple statement. He had a seat on the couch and rubbed Satchmo behind the ear. "What about your future? Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

Neal smiled mirthlessly and fiddled his hat. He sat on the opposite end of the couch and assembled his thoughts silently. "I know, Peter. I know that you are looking at a promotion if we close this case. I just want to know what that means for me in the long run."

Peter's eyes widened as he realized what was going on with Neal. He had noticed his CI's sullen mood lately. However, when he questioned Neal about what was going on he was quickly rebuffed. "Nothing is written in stone, Neal. I have been passed over for promotions in the past."

Neal knew that Peter was attempting to mollify him with vague denials but it wasn't going to work. "I overheard your conversation with Elizabeth when we were at the safe house. Normally, I could just deal with the changes but...my family…I won't lose them again, Peter."

Agent Burke frowned deeply and sighed. This was the reason he was losing sleep at night. He should be in the bed with his beautiful wife at this very moment. Instead, he was up before dawn pacing the floors as he worked the problem over in his head. In the ensuing days since his conversation with Elizabeth, he received encouraging news that the promotion was all but assured. However, Neal's future was a little murkier. He doing everything in his power to make sure the younger man would have a soft landing.

He said, "I can only tell you what I know, Neal. My promotion isn't guaranteed unless we take down Adler and even then it could change. That is the truth…it could change. I've been talking to my superiors trying to figure out what the arrangements for you would be if I was promoted. The best information I could get at the moment is that you won't be returned to prison. The bureau would like you to continue working as a confidential informant."

Neal was a little relieved that the plan wasn't for him to go back to prison for the duration of his sentence. However, he was still subject to the whims of his new handler. He said, "I'm worried about my family. I might not be able to see them. I might not even be in New York. I could get transferred anywhere there is a field office."

Peter nodded in agreement. He said, "I know it seems insurmountable right now but I promise that I am working on your behalf, Neal. I'm on your side. I'm trying to get Hughes to help me and he's been amenable to you staying here in the New York office. He suggested that we transfer you to another handler before either of us is promoted. However, there's been some interest in you from someone in D.C."

He felt like his heart stopped beating hearing there was a chance that he would be moved to D.C. He had no interest in uprooting Jade and their daughters. She had a job here that was allowing her to earn straight. He asked, "Who is it?"

Peter said, "My old mentor Phillip Kramer is the head for D.C.'s Art Crimes Unit. When you started helping me take down so many big names, he contacted me to find out more about you. He's been calling more since he got wind of my possible promotion."

Neal stood up and shook his head. "I'd be leaving my family here in New York, Peter. I just got them back."

He put his hands up in surrender. He wanted Neal to understand he was on his side. "I know and I told Phillip as much when we talked yesterday. Dispensations are made when it is for a wife and children but…"

He sighed. "I know…you don't have to say it. I need to get home before Jade wakes up. I didn't tell her that I was leaving. I didn't want her to worry anymore than she already is worrying. Thanks for talking to me, Peter."

Peter stood up. "Neal, just give me some time to work something out. You have done good work for the bureau and me. I won't leave you in a lurch. I hope that you can trust me."

Neal smiled sadly. He shrugged. "I trust you with my life, Peter. I have trusted you with the lives of my children but you don't really have any say in the situation. People above your head will make the final decision. People that don't know me or what I'm capable of doing will get to make the final determination."

"Wait! I didn't tell you this because I wasn't sure if it would happen. I have also been looking at asking the parole board to give you time served. They might be inclined to do it with positive recommendations from Hughes and me."

He shook his head. "That's a long shot at best but thank you for trying. I'm not unappreciative. I just need to know how to prepare my family for the future. I need to know if I am going to be unceremoniously ripped out of my daughters' lives. They deserve better from me…"

Peter said, "Neal…"

The younger man shook his head again and got ready to walk out of the house when Peter's phone began to ring.

The agent grabbed it quickly knowing it had to be a work emergency for someone to call him so early. "Burke…"

Neal took that opportunity to leave. He knew that Peter was only trying to help him but there wasn't a lot the man could do and he didn't fault him for that. He also understood the necessity of keeping Neal in the dark. The younger man could be impulsive and Peter didn't want him to do something that would ultimately make his situation worse if it wasn't necessary. He understood all of that and he wasn't laying blame for his predicament at Peter's feet. Neal was in this position because of his own actions before and after Peter apprehended him.

He was a few houses away when he heard Peter calling out to him.

"Neal! Come back!"

A chill ran down Neal's spine hearing the tinge of panic in Peter's voice. He turned around and jogged back to the house. "What's wrong?"

"A distress signal just came from June's house. I need to get dressed and we'll get over there."

Neal swallowed nervously. "What about the agents that are supposed to be watching the house?"

Peter groused. "Shift change…" He ran upstairs to his bedroom and pulled clothes out of the drawer. He wasn't going to bother with putting on a suit. He just couldn't go out in his pajamas. Peter winced when he slammed a drawer too loudly.

Elizabeth woke up with a start and sat up in the bed. She turned on the lamp on the bedside table. "Peter?" She blinked trying to clear the blurriness in her eyes.

He said, "I'm sorry for waking you up, honey. I've got to get going. There is a distress signal coming from June's house. Neal and I are going to go over there."

Elizabeth felt an overwhelming sense of dread settle over her. She vividly remembered their harrowing escape from June's house. She didn't want to think about what might happen in the middle of the night. However, she suddenly realized that Peter mentioned Neal. She asked, "Neal is here?"

Peter nodded. "I will have to fill you in about the reason for his visit later. I need to get over there now."

Elizabeth climbed out of the bed. "I am coming with you."

He shook his head. "El, I don't think that is a good idea. I have no idea what I might be walking into over there."

"Well, me staying here can't be any safer. That maniac threatened me, too. I'll stay in the car."

Peter sighed deeply. "I am leaving in a few minutes."

Elizabeth shrugged. "All I need is a pair of shoes and a jacket."

She had no reservations about leaving the house in her pajamas. She was wearing pants and a tank top. It was less revealing than the outfits she wore to the gym.

Peter gave up on convincing Elizabeth to stay home. He knew that her mind was already made up.


End file.
